The Shifting Pattern of Food Security Support: Food Stamp and Food Bank Usage in North Carolina

Abstract

From the mid-1990s to 2000, there was a decline in the number of food stamp recipients. That trend has recently reversed itself. Over the same time, food bank output has consistently increased. Research has not shown whether hunger is decreasing or whether there is a change in how food security is provided. To address this question, this study examined the combined monthly food outflow patterns of 193 emergency food providers (EFPs) in central North Carolina from 1995 to 2000. Through surveys and regression analysis, the authors find that although administrators felt that increased EFP usage was due to economic stress and population growth, the data instead show an inverse relationship with the number of public assistance recipients and a positive relationship with food stamp recipients. Although these results cannot explain individual behavior, they raise continued concerns over the growing role of nonprofits in providing food security.