Bellingham Food Bank final report

Bellingham Food Bank: Client Survey 2015
1
Bellingham Food Bank
Client Survey
2015

2
Acknowledgements
Completing this survey evaluation would not have been possible without the wonderful
staff, volunteers and clients of the Bellingham Food Bank. A huge thanks goes to the executive
director, Mike Cohen, who provided the surveys and facilitated the distribution process. In
addition, the dedicated staff members who were always available to answer questions and
opening up their office space throughout distribution of the surveys. Also, for providing
resources such as clipboards and pens, for clients to fill out the survey.
Another thank you goes out to the remarkable volunteers of the food bank. Without the
volunteers, the Food Bank would not be able to serve as many community members as they do
today. The time and energy the volunteers devote to the food bank is greatly appreciated. During
survey distribution the volunteers were accommodating and open to collecting the surveys from
clients which was extremely beneficial to the distribution process.
Lastly, a huge thank you goes out to all the clients who participated in this study. Client
participation was crucial to completing this survey analysis. The Food Bank is thankful of the
clients who took the time while waiting in life for distribution to complete the survey. The
Bellingham Food Bank is greatly appreciative of the feedback they have received from all the
clients who completed the survey. This study would not have been possible without the
participation of the Food Bank clients.

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Executive Summary
This evaluation studied the client population of Bellingham Food Bank (BFB). The BFB
has been serving the community of Whatcom County since 1972. The focus of the BFB is to
support the community by providing food and food resources to as many individuals as possible.
In addition to distributing food to the community, the food bank has multiple programs including
Small Potatoes Gleaning Project, Victory Gardens, Milk Money, Food4Tots, Garden Project, and
this fall they are starting the Alderwood Lunchtime Reading Program.
The focus of this survey project was food distribution which occurs every Monday and
Friday from 11:30-3:00 p.m. and Wednesday from 1-6 p.m. The goal of this survey was to
receive feedback and understand client demographics. In addition, this survey evaluation seeks to
determine whether or not the BFB is reaching their goal of providing high quality food to their
customers. While all the information received from the surveys is valuable to the BFB, there are
a few particular areas of interest. These include frequency of client visits, food security such as
skipping or cutting meals, household size and household income. Throughout the survey
distribution process, it became clear how many clients rely on the Food Bank to provide the
majority of the food they eat each week.
It is valuable for any organization to recognize the needs of the community. To serve a
community, the organization must be aware of what is needed so they can help those in need to
the best of their ability. This is why the BFB has created this survey to evaluate how they are
meeting the needs of their clients and the community as a whole. The staff is greatly appreciative
of the feedback received because they are dedicated to making the BFB as beneficial to their
clients as possible. The feedback received from clients will be reviewed by the BFB staff and
will possibly impact future changes at the organization. This project is a valuable resource to the
clients, staff and all of the other members associated with the BFB. The staff and the Board of
Directors of the BFB will use the information presented in this analysis for future planning and
possible new programs for their clients.

4
Introduction
The BFB is a nonprofit organization that works to provide the community with food
security. They are one of the most valuable resources in Whatcom County working to end food
insecurity. They believe that no one should go hungry and are doing all they can to provide the
community with nutritious, high quality food to as many individuals as possible. Many
community members would not have enough food to feed themselves and their family without
the support they receive from the Food Bank. The BFB serves a diverse population in
Bellingham, ranging from children to the elderly. Almost 20% of Bellingham's families visit the
food bank on a regular basis. The BFB recognizes that there are many families and individuals
in the community who do not have enough food and are devoted to providing as much as they
can to others.
To understand the current client demographics and evaluate the needs of their target
population, the BFB created a survey. This survey was developed in 2006 and has been used in
previous evaluations completed in 2009 and 2012. This survey is a valuable resource for the BFB
because it evaluates how well they are serving their target population. In addition, it allows the
clients to have their voices heard and provide their feedback on what is and is not working for
them at the Food Bank. This survey project is one of the ways the BFB is evaluating how well
they are serving their community.
Methodology
This report is based on survey data that was collected in the fall of 2015. There were 406
participants involved in this project, all of who are clients of the BFB. Client participation was
completely optional, so only those who wanted to participate did. The survey was distributed to
participants on one Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the end of September. The distribution of
the surveys was completed at the end of the month because there are typically more clients who
come for food at the end of each month. The survey consists of 32 questions inquiring about
client food security, personal characteristics, and the quality of the Food Bank. It should be noted
that since this survey was completed during the fall, the results may not be representative of
other times during the year.

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A common barrier faced by BFB customers is language. Because there are high Spanish
and Russian speaking communities among the clients of the Food Bank, surveys were provided
in multiple languages. The purpose of this project is to receive client feedback from as many
clients as possible. Therefore, it was crucial to provide resources that all clients could use so
everyone had an opportunity to take part in this project.
Findings
Customer Demographics
Race/Ethnicity
Figure 1 depicts the race/ethnicity of the Food Bank recipients. Over half of the clients (72.73%)
identify as white.
Figure 1: Race/Ethnicity
Disability Status
More than half (54.57%) of Food Bank clients live in a household where at least one member has
a disability.
72.73%
2.48%
2.20%
0.83%
0.00%
0.83%
0.00%
0.28%
0.28%
5.51%
4.96%
White
African American/Black
Native…
Native Hawaiian/Pacific…
Chinese
Filipino
Japanese
Korean
Other Asian
Multi-Racial
Other
0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00%
Series1

6
Figure 2: Disability
Health Insurance
Displayed in Figure 3 is amount of Food Bank clients who have health insurance. Almost all of
the food bank clients who participated in the survey (87.43%) have health insurance.
Figure 3: Health Insurance
54.57%
45.43% Yes
No
87.43%
12.57%
Yes No

7
The various types of health insurance clients have are presented in Figure 4. Out of the 87.43%
of clients who have health insurance, 39.41% have Medicaid/DSHS Medical Coupon. The
second highest type of health insurance is Medicare (29.31%). Other sources of health insurance
include Private Insurance (4.19%) and Military (2.22%).
Figure 4: Types of Health Insurance
29.31%
39.41%
4.19%
2.22%
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00%
Medicare
Medicaid/DSHS medical
coupon
Private Insurance
Military
Series1

8
Household Size
Distribution of household size is represented in Figure 5. The majority of customer households
are fairly small, ranging between 1-4 individuals per household. The average number of
individuals living in a BFB client household is 2.
Figure 5: HouseholdSize
28.97%
13.37% 13.65%
12.26%
6.69%
3.62%
2.23%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
One Two Three Four Fve Six Seven
Series1

9
Housing Status
Distribution of customer housing status is shown in Figure 6. More than half of Food Bank
recipients (72.41%) are currently renting, while 9.61% are homeless, 5.91% are in permanent
housing and 4.93% are buying. The number of food bank clients who are renting has not changed
since 2009. But, the number of individuals who identify as homeless has decreased since 2009,
where 12% of survey participants were homeless.
Figure 6: Housing Status
72.41%
4.93% 5.91%
9.61%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
Renting Buying In permanent
housing
Homeless
Series1

10
Education Attainment
Figure 7 displays education attainment of Food Bank customers. 35.05% of clients have
completed some college including a two-year degree or no degree. Other education fulfillments
prevalent among clients are completion of high school or equivalent degree (GED) (26.09%) and
completion of college (18.21%). Only 11.41% of BFB customers have completed less than high
school education.
Figure 7: Education Attainment
11.41%
26.09%
9.24%
35.05%
18.21%
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00%
Completed less than high school
Completed high school of equivalent
degree (GED)
Completed non-college
business/trade/technical school or degree
Completed some college (two-year
college or no degree)
Completed college (BA
Series1

11
Assistance from other sources
Figure 8 displays the assistance Food Bank clients receive from other services in the community.
The majority of Food Bank clients receive some type of assistance from other community
programs. The most common type of assistance program is food stamps, which was reported by
more than half of the study participants (52.22%). Other popular assistance programs among
clients are HUD Rental Assistance (13.30%), Free or reduced-price school lunch or breakfast
(12.56%), and Fuel and Heating Assistance (10.34%). Overall, the results of this survey are
fairly similar to the results in the 2009 survey analysis. There has been a slight decrease in the
number of individuals who use Food Stamps since 2009, where 59% reported the use of Food
Stamps.
Figure 8: Assistance from otherservices
12.56%
6.40%
4.19%
13.30%
10.34%
1.97%
0.74%
52.22%
1.72%
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00%
Free or reduced school…
WIC
Soup kitchen/free meal…
HUD rental assistance
Fuel/Heating assistance
Senior Center meals
Meals on Wheels
Food Stamps
TANF
Series1

12
Employment
More than half of Food Bank customers (52.21%) live in a household where at least one member is
currently employed. A little less than half (46.79%) are currently unemployed. Among the households
that have at least one individual who works the average number of hours worked per week is 37. The
amount of individuals who live in a household where at least one member is employed has slightly
increased since 2012. In 2012, 43% were employed and 57% were unemployed.
Figure 9: Employment Status
Income
The monthly income for BFB clients ranges from $100 or less to $4000 or more. The average
income among clients is $1,197. The median income has raised since 2009 where the average
household income was $900.
46.79%
53.21%
Yes
No

13
Military Involvement
Figure 10 represents the military participation of Food Bank clients. Almost all of BFB clients
have not served in the military (80.80%). Client military involvement is fairly similar to 2012,
where 83% of clients had not served in the military.
Figure 10: Military Participation
18.93%
80.80%
Yes No

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Experience at the Bellingham Food Bank
Dietary Needs
Nearly half of the recipients have no special dietary needs. Some special dietary needs that are
common among clients include low salt/low fat (16.50%), diabetes (14.04%), and vegetarian
(13.05%).
Figure 11: Special Dietary Needs
43.35%
16.50%
3.45%
5.91%
14.04%
12.07%
13.05%
No special dietary needs
Low-salt/low-fat
Pregnant/breastfeeding
Vegan
Diabetic
Food Allergies
Vegetarian

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Bellingham Food Bank Hours
If the Bellingham Food Bank were to change their distribution hours or add new hours, recipients
would prefer either Monday evening or Saturday from 12:30-3:00 p.m. It should also be noted
that there were a handful of responses that stated they are perfectly fine with the current
distribution hours.
Figure 11: New Distribution Hours
37.07%
10.63%
35.92%
16.38%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
Monday evening Friday evening Saturday 12:30-
3:00
Sunday 12:30-
3:00
Series1

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Modes of Transportation
Almost 60% of customers transport to the Food Bank via car. Other modes of transportation
include walking (18.39%), bus (12.85%), WTA Specialized Transportation (5.04%) and biking
(4.28%). Since 2009, the modes of transportation for recipients has not changed drastically. In
2009, 58% of clients were driving to the Food Bank, 21% were walking, and 12% were taking
the bus. There has been a slight increase in the amount of individuals who drive to the BFB since
2009.
Figure 12: Transportation to the Food Bank
59.45%18.39%
4.28%
12.85%
5.04%
Car
Walked
Biked
Bus
WTA Specialized
Transportation

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Needfor Recipe and Nutrition Information
When asked if they would use recipe information about the food received at the Food Bank,
61.76% of customers said yes, 23.80% had no opinion on the topic, and 14.71% said no. These
results suggest that the majority of the target population would benefit from being provided with
recipe information through the Food Bank.
Figure 13: Needfor Recipe Information
61.76%
14.17%
23.80%
0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00%
Yes
No
No opinion
Series1

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When asked if they would use nutrition information about how to eat healthier, 63.30% of
customers said yes, 18.88% of customers had no opinion, and 17.82% of customers said no. The
percentage of clients who would like nutrition information is almost identical to the percentage
of those who want to recipe information on the food they receive from the Food Bank.
Figure 14: Needfor Nutrition Information
63.30%
17.82%
18.88%
0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00%
Yes
No
No opinion
Series1

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Transporting Items Around the Food Bank
Figure 16 illustrates how easy it is for customers to transport their food items around the Food
Bank. The majority of the customers surveyed find it very easy or easy to move their items
around the inside of the Food Bank. This is likely due to the new system at the BFB that allows
clients to have more freedom when shopping. Many clients provided feedback on the surveys
saying they appreciated the new system because it made it faster and easier for them to move
around the inside of the Food Bank. Only a small portion of BFB recipients find it very difficult
or difficult to transport their items around the Food Bank.
Figure 15: Transporting items Around the Food Bank
2.06% 3.35%
14.95%
34.54%
44.33%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
Not easy Somewhat
easy
Nuetral Easy Very easy
Series1

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Transporting Items from the Food Bank to Living Space
Figure 17 represents how clients feel about transporting the items they receive from the Food
Bank to their current living space. More than half (58.80%) of clients feel that is very easy or
easy for them to transport their food items to where they are currently living. The amount of
individuals who find it very easy is almost identical to the amount of clients who drive to the
food bank. This is likely due to the fact that driving to the Food Bank makes it easier for clients
to bring their food items back home. Only 18.11% of the survey recipients find it very difficult
or difficult to get the items they receive from the Food Bank back to their living space.
Figure 16: Transporting items from the Food Bank to Living Space
7.61%
10.50%
23.10%
18.90%
39.90%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
Not easy Somewhat
easy
Nuetral Easy Very Easy
Series1

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Customer Service
Displayed in Figure 18 are customer views about the customer service at the BFB. Over half
(76.27%) said they are always treated with respect by the staff and volunteers when they come
into the Food Bank. Less than one percent of the recipients said they are rarely or never treated
with respect by the staff and volunteers. This is important because many clients it is difficult just
being at the Food Bank, so it is important that they feel welcome and are treated respectfully by
the staff and volunteers.
Figure 17: CustomerService at Food Bank
76.27%
20.00%
2.93%
0.27% 0.27%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
Every time Most times Sometimes Rarely Never
Series1

22
Client Food Security
Skipping Meals or Cutting Meals
Figures 19 and 20 show the amount of individuals who skipped or cut the size of their meals and
how frequently they did it in the last twelve months. More than half (78.54%) of the customers
said they have skipped or cut the size of their meals. Similar to the results from the 2009 and
2012 surveys, more than half of the customers skipped or cut their meals at least once a week.
Since 2012, the amount of individuals who skipped or cut their meals has increased. Only 71%
of customers were skipping or cutting their meals due to lack of funds in 2012.
Figure 18: Did you ever skip or cut the size of your meals because there wasn't enough?
78.54%
21.46%
Yes
No

23
Figure 19: How often did you ever skip or cut the size of your meals because there wasn't enough?
13.43%
31.43%
14.00%
20.57%
10.86%
9.71%
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00%
Everyday
2-3 times a week
Once a week
2-3 times a month
Once a month or less
Never
Series1

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Hunger
Represented in Figures 21 and 22 is customer hunger level throughout the last 12 months. A little
more than half of Food Bank recipients (54.82%) said someone in their household was hungry
but did not eat because they could not afford enough food. Almost half of the clients (43.46%)
went hungry at least once a week because they could not afford enough food. Compared to the
results from 2009, the hunger status of customers has not drastically changed. There has been a
slight increase in the amount of individuals who went hungry on a weekly basis since 2009.
Figure 20: Were you or anyone in your householdeverhungry but didn't eat because you couldn't afford enough food?
54.82%
44.92% Yes
No

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Figure 21: How often were you or anyone in yourhouseholdhungry but didn't eat because you couldn't afford enough
food?
6.86%
22.55%
14.05%
19.28%
14.38%
22.55%
0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00%
Everyday
2-3 times a week
Once a week
2-3 times a month
Once a month or less
Never
Series1

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Food Bank Use
Over the course of the year, more than half of Food Bank recipients (54.82%) came to the
BFB on a weekly basis. Since 2009 and 2012, there has been an increase in the amount of
individuals who come the Food Bank on a weekly basis. In 2009, 52% of clients were coming to
the Food Bank every week. In 2012, only 48% of clients reported they came to the Food Bank on
a weekly basis. The frequency of client visits is likely correlated to client food security. This is
because customers are more inclined to use the services provided by the food bank regularly
when they indentify as food insecure. There is likely a relationship between the hunger status and
the amount of times a household skips or cuts meals to how frequently they come to the BFB.
Those who have less resources to afford food are more likely to skip or cut their meals and often
go hungry. Therefore, they are likely to come to the Food Bank more often because of their lack
of resources.
Figure 22: Food Bank Use
54.82%
27.16%
7.11%
4.82% 6.09%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Weekly 1-2 times a
month
Monthly 6-9 times a
year
Less than 6
times a year
Series1

27
Food Category Rating
Respondents were asked to rate the importance, quality and quantity of the five categories of the
food they receive at the BFB. The five food categories include proteins (meats, fish, beans),
dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt), dry goods (pasta, rice, cereal), fresh vegetables and fruit, bread and
bakery items.
Importance of each food type
On a scale of one to five, one being not important and five being very important, clients were
asked to rate the importance of the five food types. The majority of clients (78.27%) rated either
important or very important for the BFB sourcing proteins. 76.45% said having the BFB source
dairy products is important or very important to them. 53.74% said it is important or very
important to them to have dry goods. 80.16% of clients said having the BFB source fresh fruits
and vegetables is important or very important to them. Lastly, 67.02% said having the Food
Bank source bread and bakery items was important or very important to them. These results
indicate that sourcing all of these food types is highly important to the majority of BFB
customers.
Quantity of each food type
On a scale of one to five, one being not satisfied and five being very satisfied, clients were asked
to rate the quantity of each food type provided by the BFB. A little less than half (48.83%) are
either satisfied or very satisfied with the quantity of the protein items available at the Food Bank.
65.27% said they are satisfied or very satisfied with the quantity of dairy products. The majority
of survey recipients (77.27%) said they are satisfied or very satisfied with quantity of the dry
good items at the BFB. 73.42% said they are satisfied or very satisfied with the quantity of fresh
fruits and vegetables. Lastly, the majority of clients (74.60%) said they are either satisfied or
very satisfies with the quantity of bread and bakery items at the Food Bank. These results imply
that most food bank customers are satisfied with the quantity of the food items available at the
BFB. In addition, there seems to be a high demand for proteins among BFB customers and some
would like more protein options available to them when they shop.
Quality of each food type

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On a scale of one to five, one being low quality and five being high quality, clients were asked to
rate the quality of each food type provided by the BFB. The majority of clients (64.55%) rated
either good or high quality for the proteins that are provided at the Food Bank. 72.75% said the
quality of the dairy products available at the BFB are good or high quality. 71.20% said the
quality of the bread and bakery items provided at the Food Bank is either good or high quality.
60.58% said the fresh fruits and vegetables provided at the Food Bank are either good or high
quality. Lastly, 67.91% said the quality of the bread and bakery items available at the BFB are
good or high quality. Overall, the quality of the food provided at the Food Bank is good or high
quality according to the majority of clients.
Limitations
While the results received from the surveys are extremely appreciated and valuable to the
BFB, there are some limitations associated with this evaluation. First, the amount of clients that
were asked to participate in the survey was a limitation. Even though 406 clients completed the
survey, during the three distribution days many clients were not asked if wanted to participate in
this evaluation. This is due to the fact that once the BFB let clients start to come in and get food
the line moved faster and it was more challenging to reach all of the clients. In addition, many
clients did not want to fill out the survey once they got too close to the doors because they did
not feel like they had enough time to fill out the survey. It would be beneficial for future projects
to give customers the surveys before they get too close to going inside.
Another limitation is the time of year this evaluation was completed and the short time
period. Since this evaluation was completed in the fall of 2015, it is likely that many of the
results do not represent the client characteristics during other times of the year. To understand
customer demographics year round, it would be beneficial to complete this survey analysis
multiple times during the year. In addition, language and wording of some of the survey
questions caused confusion for some clients. Even though the surveys were provided in three
different languages, there were some customers who did not speak any of those languages.
Therefore, they were unable to participate because they could not fill out the survey. In addition,
the questions that required a short answer were only filled out on the English surveys. This might
have limited those who speak English as a second language from accurately discussing their
opinions on the BFB.

29
Recommendations
From the findings of this survey analysis, there is a client need for recipe and nutrition
from the BFB. As previously mentioned, more than half of the survey participants said they
would like to receive recipe and nutrition information about the food they receive at the BFB.
Past surveys have also found that there was a high need among recipients for the Food Bank to
distribute recipe and nutrition information. While there have been nutrition programs in the past,
there were only a few participants. It would be beneficial to find an effective way to pass out
nutrition and recipe information that clients will use. This is because there is an obvious need
from the results of this evaluation, but the previous programs had a lack of participants. Since it
is challenging for many clients to be at the BFB for long period of time, distributing recipe and
nutrition information during the times they already come to the Food Bank for food would be the
best way to pass out this information.
Conclusions
The findings from this survey are very valuable to the BFB because they provide the
organization with information about their clients. In addition, the BFB was able to receive
feedback about how they clients perceive the services provided by the Food Bank. Some of the
key findings from this analysis include monthly income, household size, food security in relation
to hunger and ability to afford enough food. There is a diverse range of annual incomes among
the clients of the Food Bank. The calculated median monthly income for customer households is
$1,197. In addition to monthly income, there are a range of the number of individuals who live in
BFB customer households. Even so, it was found that the majority of client households are small,
ranging from 1-4 individuals per household. The calculated average for BFB customer household
size is 2 individuals per households.
In addition to BFB client personal demographics, this survey analysis gave some insight
on food security status. Further, more than half of the clients went hungry in the last 12 months
because they could not afford enough food. The amount of times customers went hungry in the
last 12 months ranges from weekly to once a month or less. Another aspect of food security
examined in this analysis was skipping or cutting meals. More than half of BFB clients said they
have skipped or cut the size of their meals. The amount of times customers have skipped or cut

30
their meals ranges from once a week to once of month or less. In addition, the majority of Food
Bank clients come to the BFB on a weekly basis. Hunger status and the amount of times a
household skips or cuts their meals is correlated to the amount of times clients come to the Food
Bank. All in all the results from this survey analysis provides the BFB with valuable information
regarding customer demographics in addition to feedback about various aspects of the
distribution process.

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