Overview: The Philadelphia Community Food Access study is a joint collaboration of the Center and Philabundance, a non-profit food distribution system fighting hunger while reducing food waste. The study will assess the spatial relationship between hunger and the distribution of hunger relief services in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania. The purpose of this study is to identify areas of need without access to services and those areas without sufficient service capacity to address the present levels of need for households in low income neighborhoods. The USDA studies have established that 80% of the nation’s food insecure population have never availed themselves of food cupboard and pantry services. This study aims to find out, address, and analyze this contradiction in Philadelphia region.

The study, funded by a $25,000 grant from Philabundance, will conduct GIS analyses to find the service gaps for households in low income neighborhoods. Spatial relationship between the food needs of client population, the location distribution of the local providers and the quantities of food provided by each provider can provide a visual demonstration of the largest geographic gaps in food delivery. Thus the study will establish the relationship between hunger and the spatial distribution of the flow of hunger relief.