NIFB F16 FINAL PAPER

Northern Illinois Food Bank
Phase II Opportunity Analysis
Sponsored by
Partnering with
Northern Illinois University
College of Business
Experiential Learning Center
Providing more meals for our children and families in need by
Expanding access to federal programs
December 2, 2016
Together, we can bring more nutritious meals to children and families in need.

Executive Summary
Hunger is one of the fastest growing challenges facing children, individuals, and
families. Northern Illinois Food Bank partnered with Northern Illinois University College
of Business Experiential Learning Center (ELC) to help achieve the goal of providing
more people in need with nutritious meals. The Northern Illinois Food Bank hopes to
reach their #75MillionMealGoal per year by 2020. The ELC team conducted research
that focused on federal Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) and Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP).
The ELC team collected research through online databases, other academic sources
and the data provided by Northern Illinois Food Bank. The team’s intent was to help
Northern Illinois Food Bank reach out and increase the number of meals served to
those in need by locating partners and agencies that may be eligible to provide Child
and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
programs in underserved areas, and prioritizing locations with households eligible for
the SNAP program. It developed dynamic tools for the Northern Illinois Food Bank to
use, including cross-functional spreadsheets and a dashboard. It also developed
communications materials to support this effort, including toolkits and companion video.
Child Nutrition Program
Deliverables
The CNP team’s deliverables include identifying geographic areas where new
afterschool or summer sites may be added, developing a Northern Illinois Food Bank
outreach materials “Outreach Toolkits” (and companion video), and identifying
additional potential partnerships/agencies/”champions”
Conclusions
Existing program, if interested, by the USDA meals programs:
o CACFP 2016
29 potential sites
250,560 potential meals
1,392 estimated increase in the number of children
o SFSP 2016
22 potential Sites
61,380 potential meals
1,364 estimated increase in the number of children
Organizations that may provide new programs where meals were identified in all
counties except Grundy and Stephenson.

Locations where children may gather and meals could be served were identified.
The number of identified eligible area sites, but not presently active, ranged from
12 in Grundy County to 134 in Kane County.
Potential sites who may be interested in what Northern Illinois Food Bank should
offer with being an afterschool or summer site location with the Children’s
Programs Outreach Toolkits
Additional potential partnerships/agencies/”champions” exist and could be
approached to build network
Results of both Phase I and II will provide more background information for Kaia
Keefe-Oates, Feeding America Child Hunger Corp Member, to support the
Community Needs Assessment she is developing for the Food Bank’s Children’s
Programs.
Recommendations
The recommendations for implementation include:
Use the database spreadsheets to identify potential existing programs with meal
opportunities.
Review and incorporate results into Community Needs Assessment Study.
Contact other potential programs who may be able to partner to serve meals.
Continue communications with 4-C and other child care reference and referral
agencies to broaden reach to child care providers.
Join service and nonprofit networks to build awareness that may lead to more
site partners or program champions.
Review Child Nutrition Programs Outreach Toolkits, contact the ELC if additional
design services are desired, and utilize the toolkits beginning in spring 2017.
Supplemental Nutrition Program
Deliverables
The SNAP team’s deliverables include creating an optimized SNAP Needs Assessment
Profile, refining served/underserved meals assumptions and computations, and
providing a direct mail zip code list and map for all census tracts in the 13-county
Northern Illinois Food Bank service area for a planned 2017 release.
Conclusions
The Phase II Snap team concludes that Northern Illinois Food Bank should utilize the
deliverables presented to come closer to reaching the #75MillionMealGoal. The
deliverables included an optimized Needs Assessment Profile, research on the data
disparity (regarding both the meals calculator and senior data), and the zip code mailing
list database.

Recommendations
The following are recommendations to the Northern Illinois Food Bank to ensure
utilization of the deliverables.
Needs Assessment Profile Optimization (Database Improvement) and Manager
Reports
o Use Pivot Tables, Pivot Charts, and Slicers to summarize data
o Static Operating Report for use by those who may not need full access to
the data provided by the Profile
o Dashboard as a one-sheet, visual representation of the data within the
Profile, and
o Heat maps to easily identify areas of need and prioritize actions needed.
Data Disparity - Reconcile and improve the accuracy of household reporting:
o Apply a conversion factor to American Census Survey (ACS) data and use
for SNAP-based meals calculator
o After determining the conversion factor that will allow Northern Illinois
Food Bank to efficiently convert between the SNAP Needs Assessment
Profile and SNAP-based meals calculator, it must be applied to the ACS
data
o Once the conversion factor has been applied, input the updated data into
the Feeding America SNAP-based meals calculator to determine served
and underserved meal consumption.
Seniors
o As shown in the heat maps, the areas of need have changed from the
Phase I to Phase II reports
o Outreach activities for regional managers should focus on areas of highest
need, whether that be more efficient by using tracts with highest
percentages of households that lack enrollment, or tracts with highest
number of households that lack enrollment
Direct Mailing List
o When census tracts are updated in 2020, add the extended tract number
format of census tract in addition to the shorthand numbers so the SNAP
team will be able to use the Excel V-LOOKUP function instead of the
MATCH function
o For the census tracts with a score of zero in the heat maps, additional
sites that are outside of American Census Survey and Food and Nutrition
Service (FNS) data need to be used to get an accurate representation of
need at the census tract level for those areas (for now, assume need in
those areas is similar to surrounding census tract)

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 4
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING CENTER PROJECT PHASE II TEAM MEMBERS............................... 6
PROJECT OVERVIEW..................................................................................................... 12
CONCLUSIONS: CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM .................................................................. 16
CONCLUSIONS: SNAP PROGRAM .................................................................................. 18
SECTION A: CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS ........................................................... 21
PROJECT GOALS .......................................................................................................... 22
BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................. 22
COUNTY REVIEWS........................................................................................................ 25
KEY RESOURCES ......................................................................................................... 25
METHODOLOGY............................................................................................................ 26
FINDINGS BY COUNTY................................................................................................... 35
OVERALL FINDINGS ...................................................................................................... 44
OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS............................................................................................... 46
CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS PARTNER AGENCIES......................................................... 49
CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS OUTREACH TOOLKITS....................................................... 52
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 56
RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................................... 57
APPENDIX A1: OUTREACH TOOLKITS ................................................................... 59
CNP BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................................................................... 85
SECTION B: SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ................... 87
PROJECT GOALS .......................................................................................................... 88
BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................. 89
NEEDS ASSESSMENT PROFILE OPTIMIZATION ................................................................. 91
DATA DISPARITY .......................................................................................................... 99
SENIORS.................................................................................................................... 107
DIRECT MAILING LIST.................................................................................................. 120
APPENDIX B1: DATA DISPARITY........................................................................... 129
APPENDIX B2: SENIORS........................................................................................ 141
APPENDIX B3: DATA DISPARITY ANOMOLY........................................................ 163
SNAP BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................. 166
APPENDIX C: BUSINESS CASE............................................................................. 167

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Introduction
This research project was conducted by the
Experiential Learning Center (ELC) Team of the
College of Business, Northern Illinois University. It
explored opportunities for the Child Nutrition
Program (CNP) and Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) expansion in
Northern Illinois Food Bank’s 13-county service
area. Areas and specific programs where
individuals, children, families, and communities
are eligible for afterschool, summer meals and
SNAP benefits were identified. Phase I Standard
Operating Procedures for both CNP and SNAP
were utilized and adapted as necessary facilitate
research.
This project was the second phase of a two-part study. Phase I took place during Spring
2016, and the tools and research materials created during that time were used as a
foundation for the continuation of the project during Phase II.
Research for the study was conducted using various other sources including the ELC
Phase I report, government agencies, organization analysis, and industry information.
See CNP and SNAP report sections for details.
Experiential Learning Center
The NIU College of Business Experiential Learning Center (ELC) connects teams of the
very best students with organizations to work on real-world business issues. Over the
course of a 16-week collaboration, NIU students apply their energies and talents to help
solve cross-functional business issues.

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Recognitions
Northern Illinois Food Bank
The members of the Northern Illinois Food Bank Sponsor Team are:
Jennifer Lamplough – Director of Nutrition Programs, Executive Chief
Jessica Willis – Child Nutrition Program Manager
Hollie Baker-Lutz – Manager of Healthy Community Programs
The NIU ELC team would like to thank the Sponsor Team for their time, resources,
professional expertise, and relentless support to help facilitate project research. The
complexities of their roles as they relate to meeting program eligibility requirements and
seeking growth opportunities for the Food Bank is much appreciated. The leadership
and teamwork provided by the Sponsor Team was critical to the project.
Additional members of the Northern Illinois Food Bank who provided us with their
valuable expertise are listed below.
The members of Child Nutrition Team are:
Kaia Keefe-Oates - Feeding America Child Hunger Corp Member
Dawn Yarbrough - Child Nutrition Program Specialist
The members of the Child Nutrition Program Communications Department are:
Elizabeth Gartman - Communications Manager
Jennifer Nau - Director of Communications
A special “thank you” to:
Julie Yurko – President and CEO, Northern Illinois Food Bank
Mike Korkosz – ELC Project Sponsor, Jewel-Osco.
Outside Consultants
Brad Blackwell - Food Nutrition & Services Program Supervisor, Feeding
America (SNAP)
Jules Burke - Owner and Director, SMART Productions, Inc. (CNP)
Northern Illinois University
The members of NIU who volunteered their time to help the cause of this project
include:
Ryan Adamovic - Student Volunteer, Outreach Video for Toolkit (CNP)
Sue Anderson - IT Coordinator, College of Business Advancement Office (CNP)
Wayne Finley - Business Librarian and Associate Professor (SNAP)
Jared Jones - ELC Subject Matter Consultant (CNP)
Marisa Mertes - Student Volunteer, Outreach Video for Toolkit (CNP)
Kenzie Niestron - ELC Communications Consultant (CNP and SNAP)

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Experiential Learning Center Project Phase II Team Members
Left to right, top row: Carson Schwaller, Amanda Mapes, Ian LIvingston, Collin Plumb
Left to right, bottom row: Danna Zabratanski, Nilema Patel, Emma Ray, Rebecca Wiebenga
Junior Consultants, CNP Team
Nilema Patel
B.S. Management, December 2017
Nilema moved to DeKalb during the third grade and graduated from DeKalb High
School. She has become very involved in various campus organizations including
joining Alpha Delta Pi sorority where she was appointed Director of Standards and
Ethics, followed by Finance Vice President, and she currently holds the position of
Panhellenic Delegate. She has also served an internship with Illinois Public Interest
Research Group (PIRG), and the Odyssey.
Her personal interests include volunteering in the community, and taking long walks with
her dog. One of her biggest strengths is being straightforward with people and team
members; she tries to be direct when it comes to completing tasks, especially when
other people are relying on her. Other strengths she brings to the team are
organizational skills, the ability to meet deadlines, and effective communication.
Joining the ELC project has brought many opportunities for her. She has learned how to
work on a real world situation, work in a team under pressure, and lead a team meeting.
She is hoping that her work from this semester will provide more meals for those
children. She is very happy that she joined Northern Illinois Food Bank team and hopes
to carry on her experiences and lessons learned to the real world.

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Collin Plumb
B.S. Corporate Communications, December 2017
Collin is a junior. He routinely volunteers his time and has served many nonprofits
including Feed My Starving Children, Special Olympics, Lazarus House homeless
shelter, and he has led youth groups for his church, etc. Because of this experience he
can provide perspective on operations that were similar to the ones where he has
volunteered.
He played several sports while growing up including about eight years of football. This
experience helped him learn how important it is to work together as a team. His work
experience includes employment at Office Depot as a Customer Service Specialist for
three years and his work in the Technology Department will help him bring innovative
ideas to the project. The strengths he brings to the ELC include teamwork, leadership,
and teaching others how to communicate and work cohesively in a team.
He brought his past team experiences to this Northern Illinois Food Bank project. In this
project, he was satisfied impacting the community and providing access to food to
people who need it. He deeply admires what Northern Illinois Food Bank is doing and
was honored to play a part in helping it impact more and more people.
Collin’s involvement from the Northern Illinois Food Bank project has taught him many
valuable life skills. He has learned the tools and expertise to accomplish effective
leadership and group communication to coordinate tasks. ELC has sharpened his ability
to give public presentations. ELC has been a tremendous learning experience and has
provided him with additional tools and knowledge on how to be successful.
Rebecca Wiebenga
B.S. Finance, May 2017
Certificate, Information Systems
Rebecca will be graduating in May of 2017 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in
Finance and a Certificate in Information Systems. Rebecca pursued working on this
particular project because of its focus on programs and issues that she has personally
experienced. She is a mother of a five-year-old boy and has endured the stressful
experience of being in need of public assistance programs in order to manage the cost
of raising a child. She is currently working while attending NIU, but has also relied on
SNAP, food pantries, etc., so she may feed her family and pursue a college degree that
will help her achieve a more secure future.
The skills she brought to the ELC team include leadership, time management, and
personal life experiences to help bring a more real world understanding of challenges
persons in need face. She hopes to help Northern Illinois Food Bank expand on the
subjects the team worked on, identify more available opportunities, and be able to help
more families like hers.

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Junior Consultants, SNAP Team
Ian Livingston
B.S. Accountancy, May 2017
Ian is in the Honors program and is also seeking a minor in Civil Leadership and Civic
Engagement. He presently works for NIU Housing and Dining as a Community Advisor
at New Residence Hall. While in school, he has also worked with nonprofits including
Feed My Starving Children, Goodwill, and Heartland Blood Centers. Ian has performed
tax work for Allied Partners in Accounting and the VITA program sponsored by Goodwill
to blend his major emphasis and volunteer efforts.
He also has experience in operations management, sales, and customer
engagements/satisfaction due to his service as a Branch Manager for College Works
Painting. The skills he brought to the ELC team include his strong work ethic, strategy
development, and teamwork skills. In his free time he likes strategy games, baseball,
and golf.
Ian served an outreach and engagement internship with Northern Illinois Food Bank
during the summer of 2016. He became familiar with its outreach model and brought
this experience to the team. His goal upon graduation is to work in the nonprofit sector
as an accountant. The ELC experience has provided valuable exposure to the inner
workings of what goes on behind the scenes of a nonprofit, and how exactly they impact
the lives of so many people. It has been a great opportunity for him to aid in the needs
assessment for the SNAP team so they can properly allocate resources to where they
are needed most. He really hopes that the research done will prove valuable in
achieving Northern Illinois Food Bank’s #75MillionMealGoal by 2020. He would also
like to thank the Northern Illinois Food Bank team for all their support this semester, and
for the work they continue to do throughout Northern Illinois.
Emma Ray
B.S. Finance, December 2017
Emma is from Madison, Wisconsin and graduated from Verona Area High School in
June, 2014. She chose NIU because she was offered a scholarship to play collegiate
softball. She is currently a pitcher and the skills she has learned during her student
career will benefit her in whatever profession she chooses to pursue. The strengths she
brought to the ELC team included her significant amount of team experience, effective
time management skills, and the ability to lead a large group. She has volunteered over
60 hours while attending NIU by helping organizations such as Feed My Starving
Children, DeKalb Corn Fest, and DeKalb Rehab and Nursing Center.
Her strong worth ethic and dedication to this ELC project helped lead the team to
successfully achieve its goal. She gained valuable work experience and was able to use
the skills and knowledge developed in the classroom setting to the Northern Illinois
Food Bank project. She is honored that she was able to use her analytical skills and

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intellect to help Northern Illinois Food Bank. And, that the hard work of the ELC team
will positively impact the lives of many individuals in the Northern Illinois Food Bank 13-
county service area.
Daniel Zabratanski
B.S. Finance, May 2017
Danny grew up in Lindenhurst, Illinois, a small village outside of Gurnee. Coming into
college, he knew he wanted to pursue a career in the business world. He loved the
excitement and competitive nature that came with it and it was really the only thing that
caught his attention after high school. He chose to major in Finance because he is
skilled in math and really enjoys working with numbers. He felt those skills would be a
solid foundation for a Finance major, and four years later he believes he made the right
choice.
Over the past 18 months, he has become more involved in the College of Business.
Currently, he is Executive Board Chair of the Financial Management Association, and is
also a member of the Finance Department Student Advising Board. He is also enrolled
in the Finance Department Student Managed Portfolio program and during this past
summer, he was one of only a few students selected to manage a portfolio of close to
$350,000. He applied to serve on the Dean’s Student Advising Board, and joined the
Investment Association this semester. He is presently pursuing many types of
experience so he can build his resume and differentiate himself from other students.
After college, he hopes to work in either corporate treasury or financial analysis.
The strengths Danny brought to the team included his intellect, strong work ethic,
ambition, professionalism, and dedication. He fully dedicates himself to every task he
pursues. His goal is always to be the best that he can be and do whatever it takes to
“get the job done”. He also tries to motivate others to do their best also. Whether it be a
part-time job, school, extracurricular organizations, or an Experiential Learning Center
project, he commits to do the best job he possibly can. He gained valuable experience
during this project. He is excited to know he worked towards the goal of bringing more
meals to hungry individuals, and that his contribution will improve so many lives.
Amanda Mapes
B.S. Accountancy, December 2017
M.A.S., May 2018
Amanda was raised by a single mother in Montrose, Iowa. As a young girl, she lived in
poverty and she started her first summer job at the age thirteen after convincing the
owner of a local game farm to hire her. With the money earned from her dedication to
hard work she bought the necessary school supplies and sports uniforms so she could
participate in school activities, and was also able to save enough to buy a modest
vehicle and make the necessary down payments to become a first-generation college
student. Once in college, however, it was not an easy road due in large part to her
minimal income and inability to secure regular meals. As a member of the low-income

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population for most her adult years, she brings a unique understanding of the
importance of healthy meals to the community and believes having a full stomach
should not be a privilege.
Amanda is an active student at NIU and an active volunteer in the community. She
serves as President-Elect of Beta Alpha Psi, Ambassador for International Business
Seminars, and a member of Accountancy Leadership Advisory Council.
Through the semester, Amanda contributed to the team by utilizing her strong
organizational skills and attention to detail. She strengthened her teamwork skills and
also served as a floater between the SNAP and CNP teams by providing extra help as
needed.

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Leadership Team
Carson Schwaller
B.S. Operations Management and Information Systems, December 2016
Carson is in his final semester as an OMIS student. He was an intern with Sears
Holding Corporation over the summer. Carson was on Northern Illinois Food Bank
Phase I ELC project, and really enjoyed working on the challenges it presented. He
thought serving as an ELC Assistant Coach would be a good differentiator compared to
the opportunities most students have. And, by continuing the work from last semester,
he was able to share the experience and knowledge he gained to help the Phase II
team.
Working on a real world problem, gaining project management experience, learning
time management, and honing leadership skills is something a lot of students do not get
the opportunity to do. Carson has a full time job set up after graduation working as a
Supply Chain Analyst with Kerry Group. He is excited to get into the workforce and be
able to continue to learn and grow.
Barbara Fox, CPA, MAS
Faculty Coach
B.S. Accountancy, Illinois State University
M.A.S. Northern Illinois University
Faculty Coach, Northern Illinois Food Bank-ELC Spring 2016
Barb joined the NIU College of Business faculty in 2000 after serving over 20 years in
industry. Her primary teaching responsibility is in the interdisciplinary business core,
which is a team-based experiential principles course for undergraduates. With this role,
and as an ELC Faculty Coach, she has extensive experience working with student
teams and business professionals. She is also a Faculty Advisor for the Business
Careers House, a Living-Learning Community, and has served as instructor for the
Department of Accountancy and NIU CPA Review.
Prior to joining NIU, Barb held roles of manager, director, and chief tax officer at a
publicly-held, multinational company in the agricultural genetics and seed biotechnology
industry. Her volunteer service includes Board membership for several nonprofit
organizations in DeKalb County.

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Project Overview
Northern Illinois Food Bank – NIU Experiential Learning Center Project
Our goal is to provide more meals for children and families in need by expanding
access to federal programs.
Northern Illinois Food Bank – NIU Experiential Learning Center Project Goals
The ELC team’s goal is to help Northern Illinois Food Bank:
● Increase the number of children receiving nutritious meals
● Expand the SNAP program to help provide food resources for families
Northern Illinois Food Bank Overview
Northern Illinois Food Bank is a nonprofit, Section 501(c)(3) organization within the food
banking industry. Its mission is to lead the Northern Illinois community in helping solve
hunger by providing nutritious meals to those in need through innovative programs and
partnerships.
Although significant improvements in the economy have occurred since The Great
Recession (2007-2009), many neighborhood communities are still at risk of hunger.
Hungry neighbors with unmet needs drive efforts to be proactive. As a result, Northern
Illinois Food Bank has set an ambitious goal to provide every meal, every day, for every
hungry neighbor by the year 2020. The #75MillionMealGoal commitment was made to
expand efforts to reach out to persons in need.
Exhibit 1.1 Summarizes Strategic Goals for Meals Served

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Northern Illinois Food Bank is a partner in the 200-member network of Feeding
America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief charity. This strategic relationship supports
the Food Bank’s operations. The total food bank member network provides food
assistance to an estimated 46.5 million Americans in need each year, including 12
million children and 7 million seniors. The Feeding America national office supports
members by providing food bank programs, securing food inventory and funding, etc.,
with the goal of improving food security nationwide.
The supply chain for the food banking industry as illustrated in the Feeding America
“Hunger in America 2014” study is provided below in Exhibit 1.2.
Exhibit 1.2 Hunger in America Study: Sources of Food and Channels
of Food Distribution

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Northern Illinois Food Bank partners with a network of 800 agencies who operate food
programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters to distribute food to
individuals and families in need.
Northern Illinois Food Bank also relies on food manufacturers, retailers, companies,
foundations, and individuals who share a vision for no one to be hungry. It also provides
other support services including:
● Child Nutrition Programs
● Nutrition Education
● SNAP Outreach
Northern Illinois University students participate in the shared goal of identifying areas
where Northern Illinois Food Bank can reach more children and families who may
benefit from food assistance.
In 2015, Northern Illinois Food Bank served nearly 600,000 unique people with more
than 71,000 meals each week. About 57 million meals were served to hungry people in
need. During 2016, the number of meals increase by 5.5 million to 62.5 million.
Northern Illinois Food Bank covers a 13-county service area. The counties served are:
Boone, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Ogle,
Stephenson, Will, and Winnebago.
Exhibit 1.3 Northern Illinois Food Bank 13-County Service Area

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Northern Illinois Food Bank receives several types of funding. There is support through
federal hunger-relief funding in the form of grants, meal reimbursements, and
commodities as well as state and local resources.
The Northern Illinois Food Bank Child Nutrition Program (CNP) supports meal and milk
service programs for children in schools, day care facilities, family and group day care
homes, and summer camps. CNP is responsible for afterschool, summer and backpack
programs. This research project focused on the federally funded programs for Child and
Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
The federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) supports millions of
eligible, low income individuals, families and communities through the provision of
nutritional assistance and economic benefits. The research focused on identifying need
and outreach efforts.
Deliverables
Child Nutrition Program:
● Identify geographic areas where new afterschool or summer sites may be added
● Develop Northern Illinois Food Bank outreach materials “Outreach Toolkits”
● Identify additional potential partnerships/agencies/”champions”
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program:
● SNAP Needs Assessment Profile
● Refine served/underserved meals assumptions and computations
● Provide a direct mail zip code list and map for all census tracts in the 13-county
Northern Illinois Food Bank service area for a planned 2017 release
NIU ELC Team: Learning About Poverty in America
An essential part of the team’s research included viewing the video A Place at the
Table, directed and produced by Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush (2012). This
source demonstrated “how hunger poses serious economic, social, and cultural
implications for the United States and it could be solved once and for all, if the American
public decides that making healthy food available and affordable is in the best interest of
all”.
Members of the team also visited a children’s afterschool program, a Northern Illinois
Food Bank pantry location, and volunteered at Northern Illinois Food Bank.
The team members were humbled by their experiences learning about hunger. Each
member dedicated themselves to the project and brought their unique skills together to
complete the project deliverables.
Together, we can bring more nutritious meals
to children and families in need

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Conclusions: Child Nutrition Program
Over the course of this project, the CNP Team has identified:
● Existing programs, if interested, by the USDA meals programs:
■ CACFP 2016
● 29 potential sites
● 250,560 potential meals
● 1,392 estimated increase in the number of children
■ SFSP 2016
● 22 potential Sites
● Organizations that may provide new programs where meals were identified in all
● Locations where children may gather and meals could be served were identified.
● Potential sites who may be interested in what Northern Illinois Food Bank should
● Additional potential partnerships/agencies/”champions” exist and could be
● Results of both Phase I and II will provide more background information for Kaia
Programs.

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Recommendations
● Use the database spreadsheets to identify potential existing programs with meal
opportunities.
● Review and incorporate results into Community Needs Assessment Study.
● Contact other potential programs who may be able to partner to serve meals.
● Continue communications with 4-C and other child care reference and referral
● Join service and nonprofit networks to build awareness that may lead to more
● Review Child Nutrition Programs Outreach Toolkits, contact the ELC if additional

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Conclusions: SNAP Program
The Phase II Snap team concludes that Northern Illinois Food Bank should utilize the
deliverables presented to come closer to reaching the #75MillionMealGoal. The
deliverables included an optimized Needs Assessment Profile, research on the data
disparity (regarding both the meals calculator and senior data), and the zip code mailing
list database.
Recommendations
These recommendations are for the Northern Illinois Food Bank to utilize the deliverable
items that are presented in Exhibit 23.
Needs Assessment Profile Optimization (Database Improvement) and Manager Reports
Enhance the utility of the Needs Assessment Profile by including following:
● Pivot Tables, Pivot Charts, and Slicers to summarize data
● Static Operating Report for use by those who may not need full access to the
data provided by the Profile
● Dashboard as a one-sheet, visual representation of the data within the Profile, and
● Heat maps to easily identify areas of need and prioritize actions needed.
Data Disparity
Reconcile and improve the accuracy of household reporting:
● Apply a conversion factor to American Census Survey (ACS) data and use for
SNAP-based meals calculator
● After determining the conversion factor that will allow Northern Illinois Food Bank
to efficiently convert between the SNAP Needs Assessment Profile and SNAP-
based meals calculator, it must be applied to the ACS data
● Once the conversion factor has been applied, input the updated data into the
Feeding America SNAP-based meals calculator to determine served and
underserved meal consumption.
Seniors
● As shown in the heat maps, the areas of need have changed from the Phase I to
Phase II report
● Outreach activities for regional managers should focus on areas of highest need,
whether that be tracts with highest percentages of households that lack
enrollment, or tracts with highest number of households that lack enrollment
(whichever proves to be more efficient)

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Direct Mailing List
When census tracts are updated in 2020, add the extended tract number format of
census tract in addition to the shorthand numbers so the SNAP team will be able to use
the Excel V-LOOKUP function instead of the MATCH function.
For the census tracts with a score of zero in the heat maps, additional sites – outside of
American Census Survey and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) data – need to be used
to get an accurate representation of need at the census tract level for those areas. For
now, assume need in those areas is similar to surrounding census tracts

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SECTION A: CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS

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Project Goals
The NIU-ELC project team will help Northern Illinois Food Bank increase the number of
nutritious meals served to children in afterschool and summer programs by:
● Identify geographic areas where new afterschool or summer sites may be added
● Develop Northern Illinois Food Bank outreach materials “Outreach Toolkits”
● Identify additional potential partnerships/agencies/”champions”
Background
Northern Illinois Food Bank’s Child Nutrition Program (CNP) provides food
assistance to qualified providers of afterschool and summer programs. Food
assistance consists of meals that meet USDA guidelines, and includes
whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables when possible.
The federal programs are the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). They are funded by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the Illinois State Board of Education. Northern
Illinois Food Bank sponsors the programs and works closely with providers to complete
training and documentation so it is reimbursed for meals served.
It is a top priority to ensure more children have access to nutritious food. More than
one in five children in the Northern Illinois Food Bank service area are suffering from
hunger.
The Phase II Child Nutrition Program (CNP) Team reviewed the findings from Phase I to
become familiar with Northern Illinois Food Bank afterschool and summer programs.
The Food Bank 2016 reported results are:
CACFP 2016
o 155 potential sites
o 759,930 potential meals can be served
o 7,396 average daily participation
SFSP 2016
o 120 potential Sites
o 246,251 potential meals can be served
o 7,453 average daily participation

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Impact
According to solvehungertoday.org “Nearly 600,000 people each year in our 13-
county service area rely on Northern Illinois Food Bank and our network of 800 partner
food pantries and feeding programs.”
Congress is currently reviewing the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act and
considering lowering the eligibility for the CACFP and SFSP programs in schools or
communities from the present threshold of 50% to 40% for children eligible for free and
reduced meals (i.e. lowering the eligibility threshold for free and reduced meals which is
presently at 50% to 40%). This will open up new areas of eligibility and increase the
number of children eligible. The Food Bank is also considering private funding for these
programs if legislation does not change.
Afterschool Program
The Child and Adult Food Program
(CACFP), also known as the Afterschool
Snack and Supper is funded by the USDA
and administered by the Illinois State
Board of Education (ISBE). This program
is tied to the traditional school year of
September through June and is
approximately 36 weeks. It supports
afterschool programs in eligible low
income areas by providing meals to
children. Northern Illinois Food Bank
provides these meals to the afterschool programs as a food sponsor. It is reimbursed for
meals served.
The purpose of this portion of the project is to find afterschool programs in eligible areas
that are not already receiving afterschool meals to increase the Food Bank’s ability to
provide food to children.
For an afterschool program to be eligible it must:
● Serve children 18 and under
● Be open to all children
● Be located within a low-income area, defined as: Inside of a school attendance
zone, in which 50% of its students are eligible for free or reduced lunch
● Be managed by, but not necessarily located in, a nonprofit or public entity
● Include an education or enrichment program

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Exhibit 2.1 Calendar Timeline of Afterschool Program
Summer Program
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is funded by the USDA and administered
by the ISBE. Northern Illinois Food Bank provides breakfast, lunch or snack to summer
programs as a food sponsor and receives reimbursement for meals provided. The
timeframe is typically between June and August and may be approximately 9 weeks.
Expanding this program is extremely critical because many students rely on the USDA
School Free and Reduced Lunch Program to provide them with food. The need for
healthy meals increases during summer months while school is not in session.
Exhibit 2.2 Calendar Timeline of Summer Program
For a summer program to be eligible for the SFSP it must:
● Be located in a low-income area, defined by at least ONE of the following:
● Inside of a school attendance zone, which at least 50%* of its students are
eligible for free or reduced lunch (Note: 49.5%-49.9% may be eligible
subject to state approval by Department of Human Services)
● Inside of a census tract in which at least 50% of children are eligible free
or reduced lunch
● Be managed by (but not necessarily located in) a nonprofit or public entity
● Provide at least one meal (breakfast, lunch and/or snack)
● Not be an overnight or residential summer camp

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County Reviews
Additional afterschool and summer programs were identified for the remaining areas not
previously reviewed in Phase I. These include Boone, DeKalb, Grundy, Kane,
Kankakee, Kendall, Ogle, and Stephenson counties.
Exhibit 3 Summary of Counties Completed By Project Phase
Key Resources
The following contacts and sources were utilized to complete the county reviews.
Contacts
● Jennifer Lamplough – Director of Nutrition Programs, Executive Chief
● Jessica Willis – Child Nutrition Program Manager
● Kaia Keefe-Oates - Feeding America Child Hunger Corp Member
● Jared Jones - ELC Subject Matter Consultant (CNP)
Key Information Sources
Afterschool sources include:
● ISBE FY16 CACFP Eligibility Listing. This documents school eligibility ratings for
the National Free and Reduced Lunch Program; a qualifier for CACFP. Source
for 50% or more.
● Northern Illinois Food Bank: County Fact Sheets 2016
● Northern Illinois Food Bank Compliance Listing
● Northern Illinois Food Bank: CNP 2016-2017 CACFP Monitor List.
● Northern Illinois Food Bank Libraries Listing
● ISBE At-Risk (CACFP) Sponsor to show who services what afterschool
programs.

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Summer sources Include:
● ISBE 2016 Summer Sites Listing
● ISEBE Summer List of School Districts Participating in SFSP and SSO Programs
● Northern Illinois Food Bank Libraries Listing
● USDA Capacity Builder 2016 Summer Meal Sites
Methodology
Potential programs are existing programs with meal opportunities. These programs may
provide meals, snacks or require the child to bring a sack lunch. Additional eligible sites
are public or nonprofit organizations that could house a meal program. These sites
include parks, schools, congregations, YMCAs, etc., in qualified low-income zones as
defined by the CACFP and SFSP eligibility requirements.
The steps applied by Phase II were:
1) Reviewed Phase I report
2) Reviewed and applied Standard Operating Procedures, which included the
following sources to generate information:
a) Fiscal Year (FY) 16 ISBE report information for Afterschool (CACFP) and
Summer programs (SFSP)
b) Food Bank internal reports:
i) FY15 and FY16 Food Bank County Fact Sheets
ii) Afterschool Monitoring Sites Listing Report
iii) Libraries Listing
c) Additional Internet resources for finding existing and potential sites
d) USDA Capacity Builder to find potential programs and check are eligibility
e) FRAC Summer Food Mapper to double check results
3) Tabulated program results by county and program
4) Reconciled database spreadsheet program counts to full year reported program
results

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Phase I flowcharts below were applied to determine eligibility.
Exhibit 4.1 Phase I Flowchart to Determine Eligibility
Exhibit 4.2 Phase I Afterschool Eligibility Flow Chart

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Exhibit 4.3 Phase I Summer Program Eligibility Flow Chart
After understanding the rules, processes and regulations to be qualified for a child
nutrition program; the Phase II Team picked up where Phase I left off.
The Phase I Team focused on the high priority counties, such as; McHenry, DuPage,
Lake, Will and Winnebago county.

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The Phase II Team used McHenry County as a starting point. Since McHenry County
had been completed by Phase I, the Phase II Team applied the rules from the eligibility
flow chart to mapping tools such as FRAC Summer Food Mapper and Capacity Builder.
These two programs helped the Phase II Team identify potential and current existing
programs. The review of McHenry County served as a tutorial for the Phase II Team
and paved a path to complete the remaining counties in the Food Bank’s service area.
Bolded items indicate existing programs with meal opportunities.
Exhibit 5 Fiscal 2016
Using the identified resources the Phase II Team checked area eligibility of the existing
programs and found many additional programs and locations that could qualify for
afterschool and summer programs. The two main tools the Phase II Team used to find
additional programs and report area eligibility were the USDA Capacity Builder and
FRAC Summer Food Mapper.
Capacity Builder was designed to help find additional afterschool and summer
programs. This program has made improvements since Phase I by adding additional
layers and features. Capacity Builder provides area eligibility for free and reduced lunch
for both afterschool and summer programs.
Capacity Builder has many layers to find potential site. The most important layer is
“FY17_FNS_CACFP_SFSP_Eligibility”. This layer provides the qualifying eligibility
areas a pink color and the ineligible areas blue. The other layers are used to find
locations that can be potential or existing afterschool or summer programs .Examples of
layers we used included congregations, public schools, libraries, museums, HUD
housing, private schools, Summer Meal Sites 2016, school districts and YMCAs.

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Exhibit 6.1 Capacity Builder Layers

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After adding the layers, they will appear on the map. Capacity Builder has a legend to
allow users to quickly identify a specific layer by the given symbol.
Exhibit 6.2 Capacity Builder Symbols

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A benefit of Capacity Builder is that the address and name of the organization can be
shown by clicking on a symbol. And, clicking on 2016 Summer Meal Sites will provide
what meals it serves and at what times.
Exhibit 6.3 Capacity Builder Meal Information

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FRAC Summer Food Mapper
The Food Action and Research Center (FRAC), a leading nonprofit organization based
in Washington D.C., provides the FRAC Summer Food Mapper. Its mission is to
coordinate many different types of partners and information sources to eliminate hunger
in the U.S. FRAC Summer Food Mappers would become a way the Phase II Team
would double check its findings from Capacity Builder and pick up additional sites that
may have not been picked up from Capacity Builder.
FRAC Summer Food Mapper identifies area eligibility different than Capacity builder.
The figure below indicates that Pink areas are ineligible zones, Green areas are eligible
and a light blue will result in a “maybe” eligible zone. FRAC Summer Food Mapper does
provide potential sites such as churches, parks and schools in area eligibility zones; as
demonstrated in the image below.
The FRAC Summer Food Mapper proved to be cumbersome to navigate times, and the
technology is becoming outdated as Capacity Builder continues to evolve.
Exhibit 7 FRAC Map

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Assumptions
● Capacity Builder has frequent periods of down time
● Phase II assumed the down time is due to server maintenance and updating
● An afterschool or summer program held in a school building is only eligible if the
school is eligible, regardless of being in another eligible school’s attendance
zone (See Exhibit 5.1)
Exhibit 8 School Zone

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Findings By County
Boone County
● Northern Illinois Food Bank predicted 0%
growth in CACFP and 1% growth in SFSP for
FY17
● The potential sites that could be utilized is the
Regional Learning Academy Star, Capron
Elementary School, and Boone County
Conservation Center
● A large provider in Boone County is the
YMCA
● A challenge in Boone county was that many
schools that were in smaller towns and
townships
Exhibit 9.1 Boone County Count Summary
Exhibit 9.2 Potential Afterschool Sites Exhibit 9.3 Potential Summer Sites

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DeKalb County
● Northern Illinois Food Bank predicted 0% growth
in CACFP and 0% growth in SFSP for FY17
● The potential sites that could be utilized are
DeKalb Parks: Sports and Recreation Center,
Huntley Middle School, and Cornerstone
Christian School
● Large providers of DeKalb County are the
Northern Illinois Food Bank, YMCA, Sycamore
School District 427/OSCAR, and Voluntary
Action Center
Exhibit 10.1 DeKalb County Summary

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Grundy County
FY17
● The potential sites that could be utilized are
Braceville Elementary School and Grundy
County Special Education Cooperative
● A large provider of Grundy county is private
day care centers or YMCA
● The eligibility mappers such as FRAC
Summer Food Mapper tool and Capacity
Builder show very little eligibility within Grundy
County
Exhibit 11.1 Grundy County Summary

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Kane County
● Northern Illinois Food Bank predicted 0% growth in CACFP and 0% growth in
SFSP for FY17
● The potential sites that can be utilized include Greenman Elementary School,
Collier Community Center, Hall Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School,
Lords Park Elementary School, Taylor Family Elgin YMCA, Wesley United
Methodist Church, and Elgin Community College
● Large providers in Kane County include, Aurora Township, CUSD 300, Boys and
Girls Club of Elgin, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Aurora East USD 131, and
Aurora West USD 129 sites
Exhibit 12.1 Kane County Summary

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Kankakee County
● Northern Illinois Food Bank predicted 4% growth
in CACFP and 1% growth in SFSP for FY17
● The potential sites that can be utilized includes
Bradley East and West Elementary Schools,
Bradley Central Middle School, Aroma Park
Primary School-Garden Youth, Bourbonnais
Public Library District, Perry Farm Park,
Pembroke Public Library, Kankakee Public
Library, and Limestone Township Library
● Large providers of Kankakee County include
Northern Illinois Food Bank, Pembroke
Fellowship Church, Momence CUSD 1, New Life Community Ministry, and
Kankakee School District 111
Exhibit 13.1 Kankakee County Summary

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Kendall County
FY17.
● The potential site that can be utilized is
Nicholson Elementary School in Plano
● Large providers of Kendall County are
Northern Illinois Food Bank, Plano CUSD 88,
and Fox Valley YMCA
Exhibit 14.1 Kendall County Summary

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Ogle County
SFSP for FY 17
● The possible sites that can be utilized include Oregon Park District, Evangelical
Free Church of Mt. Morris, Chana Education Center/Rock River, Ogle County
Education Cooperative, and Mount Morris Public Library
● Large providers of Ogle County include Northern Illinois Food Bank and the
Rochelle United Methodist Church
Exhibit 15.1 Ogle County Summary

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Stephenson County
SFSP for FY17
● There are zero potential locations for utilization
● A large provider of Stephenson County is Northern Illinois Food Bank and
Freeport YMCA
Exhibit 16.1 Stephenson County Summary
Exhibit 16.2 Potential Afterschool and Summer Sites

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Will County (Follow Up on Summer Program)
● Northern Illinois Food Bank predicted
4% growth in SFSP for FY17
● New potential identified sites to be
utilized include Bolingbrook Recreation
and Aquatic Center, Crete Park, First
Congregational Church of Lockport,
Lockport Area Special Education
Cooperative, and Romeoville Park
District.
● Phase II Team reviewed Phase I
findings and new information to
determine if there were any new or
missed programs. The primary focus of
review was identifying eligible area sites that could house new meal sites---179
sites were located.
Exhibit 17.1 Will County Summary
Exhibit 17.2 Potential Summer Sites

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Overall Findings
The primary purpose of the CNP project was to
find programs where Northern Illinois Food Bank
could expand its afterschool and summer
programs. This section will provide the number
of programs identified, and how many programs
Northern Illinois Food Bank is already partnering
with in each of the 13 counties for afterschool
and summer programs.
Afterschool Program Analysis
Existing afterschool programs meet the eligibility criteria within the reviewed county
areas. The assumption was also made that any eligible program that requires a
participant to bring a sack lunch is an opportunity for a Northern Illinois Food Bank
partnership. The eligibility criteria are:
● Be located within a low-income area defined as: Inside of a school attendance
zone, in which 50% of its students are eligible for free or reduced lunch
● Include an education or enrichment program
Exhibit 18 Afterschool Findings

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Northern Illinois Food Bank anticipated zero growth for the eight counties for Fiscal Year
17. As noted in the table above, the range of estimated growth from the research was
approximately 52% The actual program increase may be much less, but it may be
greater than projections. This growth percentage is lower than the percentage Phase I
had estimated of 75%.
The fewest number of programs were found in Grundy County and the largest number
of programs were found in Kane County.
Summer Program Analysis
The potential programs are existing summer programs found within the eight county
areas that meet the following criteria:
● Serve children 18 years old and under
● Be located in a low-income area defined as ONE of the following:
● Inside of a school attendance one, with at least 50% of their
students eligible for free or reduced lunch
● Inside of a census tract in which at least 50% of students are
eligible for free or reduced lunch
● Provide at least one meal
● Overnight or residential summer camp not eligible
Exhibit 19 Summer Findings

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As noted in the table above (Exhibit 19), the estimated potential growth from the
research is approximately 50%. There were many more summer programs identified
than afterschool programs.
Grundy County still remains to have the least programs for the summer months. Many
more sites were found for potential summer programs than afterschool programs.
Opportunity Analysis
To determine the operational impact of this expansion, the average number of children
at each program was determined. Northern Illinois Food Bank FY16 officially reported
number of sites, average daily participation, and meals served has been used as a
basis for the computations.
The following estimates are based on the assumption that all the programs partner with
Northern Illinois Food Bank (an unlikely scenario). However, it is possible that the actual
number of programs interested in partnership may still be too high to add in one year. In
this scenario, the ELC team recommends first reaching out to programs located near
other potential programs, such as Freeport, Belvidere, or Elgin. This will make deliveries
more time and cost efficient.
After School
The assumptions made for the afterschool program opportunity analysis is that
afterschool programs meet for five days a week for 36 weeks of the year, with a
average of 48 children attending each afterschool program.

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Exhibit 20.1 Afterschool Opportunity Analysis
Summer
The assumptions that were made for the summer program opportunity analysis is that
summer programs meet five days a week for 9 weeks a year (during summer vacation),
with an average of 62 children attending each summer program. These assumptions
include one meal provided a day.

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Exhibit 20.2 Summer Opportunity Analysis
Tables 20.1 and 20.2 indicate the estimated maximum increase in meals that may be
achieved in each county, if all potential programs are interested in partnering with the
Food Bank.
Additional Eligible Area Sites
The Phase II Team identified additional potential eligible area sites. These sites are
potential sites that Northern Illinois Food Bank could partner up with bringing more
meals to children in the surrounding area of the site. The sites identified still meet the
criteria outline. Exhibit 20.3 (below) shows the number of potential eligible area sites
found in each county.

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Exhibit 20.3 Addition Eligible Area Sites
Child Nutrition Programs Partner Agencies
Partner Letter
Phase I Team developed and distributed a letter
to Ms. Pam Wicking, 4-C CCR&R Program
Director, 4C: Community Coordinated Child
Care, who in turn, contacted existing child care
providers in McHenry County. This represented
one partnering opportunity for Northern Illinois
Food Bank.
This letter was also recommended for use in similar outreach efforts to other members
of the child care reference and referral network (noted below) as a means to reach other
existing programs that could utilize the Food Bank services and feed more children
under the USDA CACFP and SFSP programs.
The Phase II Team would like to make this letter a lasting item for Northern Illinois Food
Bank to use as a potential marketing item to send out to new potential sites and
champions to create new relationships. This letter can be used interchangeably and can
create a transfer of knowledge from one partnership to another.
This information is included in the Phase I report on pages 50-54. Northern Illinois Food
Bank can update the letter with information related to the remaining eight counties. The
letter should be edited to remove references to the ELC and McHenry County to the
existing counties in need.

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Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA)
INCCRRA is a statewide organization which has a partnership with 16 local Child Care
Resources and Referral agencies. INCCRRA is a leader in resources for making high
quality affordable early child care and education available for families and their children
in Illinois. 4-C DeKalb County is a member of this organization and has an established
network to help facilitate Food Bank communications with these other agencies.
Partnering via networking
To identify more potential
programs or “champions”,
Northern Illinois Food Bank may
benefit from its role as
stakeholder in key service
organizations whose websites
include listings of agencies with a
like-minded mission. This may
lead to more network development. Some examples are:
Statewide Service Agencies:
Coalition Partners for Afterschool Programs
ACT Now Illinois is an organization whose members actively seek to ensure
youth in Illinois have access to quality affordable afterschool programs. Current
members include INCCRRA.
Illinois Afterschool Network
A membership organization that connects afterschool and youth development
professionals through leadership and networking opportunities.
Local Service Agencies: Examples include:
DeKalb County Non Profit-Benefits (DNCP)
The DCNP is a members-based
program offering training, access to
resources and professional
development opportunities. Its purpose
is to build nonprofit partnerships
amongst members..

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DeKalb County Community Foundation
The Mission of the DeKalb County Community Foundation is to enhance the
quality of DeKalb County by actively addressing community needs and
expanding, managing, and distributing philanthropic resources.
Communities in Schools - Aurora
Northern Illinois Food Bank already provides food program services to
Communities in Schools – Aurora at many of the schools it supports with
afterschool services. The organization website has a page listing its community
partners.
United Way:
Lake County Funding Initiatives:
Support for schools and various “connected” agencies that have relationships
with Northern Illinois Food Bank.
Rock River
For families who don't have easy access to resources, or the time between jobs
to fully manage their kids' summer learning experience, several United Way
partners offer learning programs and activities that keep young children active
throughout the summer.

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Child Nutrition Programs Outreach Toolkits
The primary focus of the toolkit deliverable was to develop an information guide to serve
as a marketing communication intended to attract new site partners. It will offer
information about why more meal sites are needed and site eligibility requirements. The
digital, emailed outreach toolkit will also feature a companion “call-to-action” video link
to help potential partners understand how their participation with Northern Illinois Food
Bank can help feed more hungry neighbors.
The Child Nutrition Programs Overview Toolkit will serve as a summary document and
has been developed using a common theme approach with consistent look and
language to align with the supporting detailed toolkits for summer and afterschool
programs. If adopted, the Child Nutrition Program outreach materials will now include
three component toolkits:
● Overview:
○ Marketing outreach to attract new site partners
○ Flexible design that may be used as a one page flyer or full brochure.
● Summer:
○ Existing material for community outreach guidance
○ Potential Addition: Specific summer site information, site application and
meal app instructions
● Afterschool:
○ Specific afterschool requirement information, site application, and meals
app information
○ New look by compiling and editing individual communications into a single
document

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The Program Overview Toolkit was designed to be adaptable to your outreach
intentions. For a broad circulation probe of general interest you may wish to use a
standalone one page communication (cover only as a flyer), or for a more targeted
reach you could use the complete information guide.
Northern Illinois Food Bank brand guidelines were followed to create this toolkit.
Materials and assistance were received from Northern Illinois Food Bank employees
and outside contractors:
● Elizabeth Gartman - Communications Manager
● Jennifer Nau - Director of Communications
● Jennifer Lamplough - Director of Nutrition Programs, Executive Chef
● Jessica Willis - Child Nutrition Manager
● Dawn Yarbrough - Child Nutrition Program Specialist
● Jules Burke - Owner and Director, SMART Productions, Inc.
Northern Illinois University – Volunteers:
● Ryan Adamovic - Management Major, Outreach Video for Toolkit
● Sue Anderson - IT Coordinator, College of Business Advancement Office
● Marisa Mertes - Marketing Major, Outreach Video for Toolkit
Sue Anderson edited the cover design provided in Microsoft Word software by
improving the look and design through use of the higher quality publishing software
InDesign. Only the cover of the Northern Illinois Food Bank Program Overview
Outreach Toolkit has been prepared in this software tool pending the Sponsor Team’s
feedback. Sue is available and happy to volunteer her time to complete the Program
Overview Toolkit if the Food Bank is interested in these additional services.
Northern Illinois Food Bank Brand Guidelines 2016 were followed to create digital
materials and video. Primary sources included the Food Bank website: quotes were
sourced from the Northern Illinois Food Bank Full Plate Newsletter and Full Plate Blog.
Photos were sourced from the Food Bank and Feeding America. Afterschool program
action videos courtesy of Jules Burke, SMART Productions, Inc.
For more information about the Child Nutrition Outreach Toolkits, please see Child
Nutrition Programs Outreach Toolkit in Appendix A1.

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Exhibit 21 Child Nutrition Program Outreach Toolkit Brochure

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Companion “Call to Action” Video
Two NIU students, Ryan Adamovic, and Marisa Mertes volunteered their time to create
a compelling two-minute video for Northern Illinois Food Bank to use as a supplement to
the Program Overview Outreach Toolkit. Ryan and Marisa are talented students who
strongly desired to put their talents, IT and Marketing, respectively, to work to help make
a difference for our youngest hungry neighbors.
Food Bank resources were provided by Elizabeth Gartman, Communications Manager
Jennifer Nau, Director of Communications. They also connected the students with Ms.
Jules Burke, Owner and Director, SMART Productions, Inc.
The video was designed with an emotional “call to action” message as a way to engage
potential site partners with the Food Bank. The goal is to build awareness amongst
those who may become champions and supporters to help feed more children in their
communities.
The “Call to Action” video can also be shared on social media, the Food Bank website,
and its YouTube channel to spread awareness of child hunger.
Exhibit 22 Companion “Call to Action” Video Image

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Conclusion
Over the course of this project, the CNP Team has identified:
● Existing programs, if interested, by the USDA meals programs:
■ CACFP 2016
● 29 potential sites
■ SFSP 2016
● 22 potential Sites
● Organizations that may provide new programs where meals were identified in all
● Locations where children may gather and meals could be served were identified.
● Potential sites who may be interested in what Northern Illinois Food Bank should
● Additional potential partnerships/agencies/”champions” exist and could be
● Results of both Phase I and II will provide more background information for Kaia
Programs.

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Recommendations
The recommendations for implementation are:
● Use the database spreadsheets to identify potential existing programs with meal
opportunities.
● Review and incorporate results into Community Needs Assessment Study.
● Contact other potential programs who may be able to partner to serve meals.
● Continue communications with 4-C and other child care reference and referral
● Join service and nonprofit networks to build awareness that may lead to more
● Review Child Nutrition Programs Outreach Toolkits, contact the ELC if additional

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APPENDIX A1: OUTREACH TOOLKITS

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CNP Bibliography
“Capacity Builder.” United States Department of Agriculture,
http://www.fns.usda.gov/capacitybuilder. Accessed 27 Nov. 2016.
“Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): Afterschool Programs.” United States
Department of Agriculture, 8 Aug. 2016,
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/afterschool-programs. Accessed 27 Nov. 2016.
“Child Nutrition Programs.” Hungernet, Feeding America, Hungernet.org, May 2014.
www.hungernet.org. Accessed 27 Nov. 2016.
“How To Participate In The At-Risk Afterschool Meals Component of CACFP.” United
States Department of Agriculture,
http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cacfp/CACFPfactsheet_atrisk.pdf.
Accessed 27 Nov. 2016.
Jacobson, Kristi & L. Silverbush (Directors and Producers). (2012). A Place at the Table
[DVD]. United States: Magnolia Home Entertainment.
Northern Illinois University. (2016). Northern Illinois Food Bank Opportunity Analysis.
DeKalb, IL: Agnew, Rob, et al.
Smith, Katlyn. “How Carol Stream kids and receive free and healthy lunches this
summer.” The Daily Herald, 16 Jun. 2016,
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160616/news/160619119/. Accessed 27
Nov. 2016.
“Summer Food Service Program (SFSP): Frequently Asked Questions.” United States
Department of Agriculture, 16 Jun. 2016,
http://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/frequently-asked-questions. Accessed 27 Nov.
2016.
“Summer Food Service Program (SFSP): How To Participate in the Summer Program.”
United States Department of Agriculture,
http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/sfsp/SFSP-Fact-Sheet.pdf. Accessed
27 Nov. 2016.
“Summer Food Service Program (SFSP): Summer Meals Toolkit.” United States
Department of Agriculture, 22 Jun. 2016,
http://fns.usda.gov/sfsp/summer-meals-toolkit. Accessed 27 Nov. 2016.

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“Your Support Puts Smiles On Students’ Faces.” Northern Illinois Food Bank: The Full
Plate Blog: Storytelling, 16 Jul. 2016,
http://solvehungertoday.org/full-plate-blog/support-puts-smiles-students-faces/.
Accessed 27 November 2016.
Yurko, Julie. “Fighting back-to-school hunger.” Northern Illinois Food Bank: The Full
Plate Newsletter, Fall 2016,
http://solvehungertoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/FULL-PLATE-FALL-
2016.pdf. Accessed 27 Nov. 2016.

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SECTION B: SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

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Project Goals
The Phase II SNAP Team was engaged to perform “continuous improvement” in
specific areas of the SNAP Needs Assessment Profile database previously developed
by the Phase I Team.
The direct focus as requested by the
SNAP Outreach Manager was known as
the “Big 3”, which is defined as:
● Seniors,
● Spanish speakers, and
● Unemployed individuals.
The deliverables are listed in the
following section.
SNAP Needs Assessment Profile
● Database content – additional research
○ Seniors – compute additional estimates for populations
■ Ages 60 (SNAP) vs. 65 (US Census)
■ At Federal Poverty Level (FPL) up to 200% threshold
○ Correlations review, etc.
● Database content and utility improvements
○ Review correlations
○ Improve/streamline the complex database by understanding how the
Northern Illinois Food Bank SNAP Outreach Manager plans to use the
data for analysis, reporting and prioritizing locations in need
○ Build in utility columns for documentation/comments by user
● Operational reports
○ Develop user-friendly report for region SNAP field personnel to use and
provide staff with information to direct their visit efforts without having to
use the entire database
○ Provide a mapping tool to facilitate efficient location identification and
travel plans (tracts/city/county)
○ Conduct pilot testing with primary users to get feedback and include
recommendations
● Finish heat maps

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Refine Served/Under-served Meals Assumptions and Computations
● Review data disparity research and meals computations from Phase I
● Review disparity categories and determine if specific items can be identified and
quantified to include meaningful assumptions and adjustments to the calculation
● Determine if there is an appropriate rationale that may be developed and applied
to provide reliable assumptions to efficiently convert between the SNAP Needs
Assessment Profile and SNAP-based meals calculator to determine served and
underserved meals
● Conduct additional research as needed to update data and research from Phase
Zip Code List
Provide a direct mail zip code list and map for all census tracts in the 13-county
Northern Illinois Food Bank territory for a planned 2017 release
Exhibit 23 Sequence of SNAP Phase I and II Workflow
Background
Eligibility
Effective January 1, 2016, the eligibility level to qualify for SNAP benefits in Illinois
increased from 130% to 165% of the federal poverty level. This will allow more people
to apply for the SNAP program and potentially receive benefits. Households with at
least one senior or one person on disability continue to qualify at 200% of the federal
poverty level.

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Exhibit 24.1 SNAP Eligibility
The federal poverty level is defined by the U.S. government. The specific qualifications
for the SNAP program based on household size are as shown below in Exhibit 24.2.
Exhibit 24.2 SNAP Eligibility

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Needs Assessment Profile
Optimization
Background
The Needs Assessment Profile
(Profile) was a tool developed by
the Northern Illinois Food Bank
Phase I ELC team. The Profile is an
Excel spreadsheet that provides in-
depth information on important
items such as demographics, SNAP
program enrollment rates, eligible
household numbers, and a
weighting system created by Phase
I, which is used to rate all included county tracts by their level of need from the SNAP
program. Every county serviced by the Food Bank is included in this profile and each is
broken down by its different county, census tracts and zip codes to give the most
accurate view of the different parts of all 13 counties, and which of these tracts should
be focused on by the Food Bank SNAP team.
There are five different demographics used in the Profile that help to put together a
picture of each individual tract. These demographics are:
● female head of household
● male head of household
● household below the federal poverty line that have seniors
● households of Hispanic or Latin origin, and households that have had no
worker within the past 12 months
Every tract of every county is broken down individually, and both the number and
percentage of houses within each individual tract that falls under these demographics is
given. The end goal of this is being able to see which counties and county tracts have
the highest number of households that fall under these demographics that may correlate
with hunger.
The Profile also contains a correlation matrix, which cross references every
demographic with the other listed demographics, along with different factors such as
enrollment rate and percent of households under the 165% poverty line. The main goal
of this correlation matrix is to find trends and patterns between the demographics and
poverty, giving a better idea as to which demographics should be more highly focused
upon. This data is all provided under the assumption that the American Census Survey
(ACS) data obtained from government census is accurate.

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The demographic data is one of the main parts of the Needs Assessment Profile, but it
also contains other information that could prove useful to the Food Bank. The Profile
has household data collected for every county and tract, showing number of households
per tract, the number of households per tract that qualify for SNAP benefits, and the
enrollment rate per tract of these houses that do qualify. Additionally, the profile also
shows the average number of persons per household for every tract within the 13
different counties.
Exhibit 25 Examples of Assessment Profile Data
This information can be critical to helping narrow down the counties and tracts that
should be focused on by displaying which have the most households currently not
taking advantage of SNAP benefits, and which areas have the most households that
qualify for SNAP. When paired with the demographic area, this information can help to
focus the Food Banks efforts to increase SNAP enrollment on areas that are not taking
advantage of the program. It can also show a correlation between the different
demographics and enrollment rates, which could lead to an idea of what type of people
are not taking advantage of SNAP, and pose the question of why they are not doing so.
This data is also provided under the assumption that the ACS data used is accurate.
Methodology
● Use tools provided by excel to optimize the Needs Assessment Profile
● Make data more manageable and accessible
● Provide operational reports for different types of users

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Assumptions
● Data provided by Phase I is accurate
● User of Needs Assessment Profile has a basic understanding of Microsoft Excel
Deliverables
One of the objectives of the Phase II team was the improvement of the SNAP needs
assessment profile. As listed in the deliverables for the Phase II Team:
Improve/Streamline the complex data base by understanding how SNAP
Outreach Manager plans to use data for analysis, reporting and prioritizing
locations in need (to operationalize the data).
This deliverable was met in a variety of different ways.
Pivot Tables
Exhibit 26.1 Working Pivot Table

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A pivot table has been added to the needs assessment profile in order to help make
data more accessible to users, and to reduce the time it takes for users to find specific
data within the Profile. A pivot table is a tool offered through excel that allows users to
rearrange data in a table format using easily manipulated filters. A pivot table does not
actually change the data within the spreadsheet in any way, it just makes finding data a
faster and more efficient process. Pivot tables are very user friendly and do not require
in-depth knowledge of Excel. Shown below is a short series of images displaying the
basics of pivot tables.
Pivot Chart
A pivot chart is a visual representation of data that is being shown by the above-
mentioned pivot table. The chart works in congruence with the pivot table, meaning that
all the data that is filtered in and out of the pivot table will be automatically filtered in and
out of the chart as well. The chart offers a way to visualize the data, and can make
spotting trends and correlations within different counties easier by displaying it in the
form of various types of graphs. Because the pivot chart is based on the the pivot table,
it takes no extra work to set up or manipulate, it simply offers another option for the
viewing of data.
Exhibit 26.2 Pivot Chart
Slicers
The inclusion of slicers into the Needs Assessment Profile is just one more way to make
information more easily accessible in an efficient manner. A slicer is just a just a list of
options that is stationed next to the pivot table. The slicer included within the Profile
allows for the user to more easily filter which counties they want displayed within the
pivot table and pivot chart. Instead of having to work the actual drop down menu built

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into the pivot table, this function allows you to just pick a county, or multiple counties,
out of a large list and will automatically filter the table based on the counties chosen.
Exhibit 26.3 Pivot Table with Slicer
Operation Reports
Another deliverable given to the SNAP team was to develop user a friendly report for
region SNAP field personnel to use and provide the staff with information to direct their
visit efforts without having to use the entire database. This is being accomplished in a
few different ways, which are as follows.
Static Report View
The static report view is an Excel spreadsheet that offers a snapshot glimpse into the
entire Profile without having to dig through data. The report view captures the leading
25 tracts within four of the key demographics. These tracts are then color coded by
which county they are a part of, and listed from highest ranking to lowest ranking on a
bar graph. This report view is completely static, meaning that unlike the pivot table and
pivot chart, none of the data can be manipulated. It is a series of lists with graphs
connected to them. This report view can offer a sense of which counties need to be
focused on the most, without having to delve into the Profile itself.

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Exhibit 27 Static Report
Dashboard
The Dashboard is a tool used for visualization of important aspects of data from the
Profile. The dashboard was made using Tableau. The dashboard is a spreadsheet
within the profile that will take all the data from four key demographics of the Profile, and
present it in a visual manner on one page. The goal of the dashboard is to be able to
look at only that one sheet and be able to determine which counties and county tracts
may require more attention based on the demographics shown. The Dashboard is able
to be manipulated to filter counties in or out based upon what the user wishes to see, or
can show all of the counties data at the same time. This will allow users to be able to
gain a general idea of the data being displayed, without having to
take the time to evaluate all aspects of the Needs Assessment Profile.
Exhibit 28 Assessment Profile Dashboard

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Heat Mapping
The Phase II Team was tasked with developing a mapping tool to facilitate efficient
location identification and travel plans (tracts/cities/counties) and with Finishing Heat
Mapping.
This deliverable has been accomplished using the Heat Mapping tool within Tableau.
This tool allowed for data from the needs assessment profile to be copied into a map of
the 13 counties that the Food Bank services. The data was then filtered; a map was
created for four of the top demographics chosen.
Each map is colored coordinated based on the county tracts and the chosen
demographic for that map. Tableau uses the demographic information from the Needs
Assessment Profile and aligns the information with the tracts of each county, and then
color codes the tracts based on the demographics. The areas that rank higher in that
demographic will be a darker red than areas that are ranked lower. This allows for a
map of all thirteen counties that will be color coded, showing which areas are more
affected by a certain demographic than others. The areas shown in black are counties
that are not focused on because they are outside of Northern Illinois Food Bank’s 13-
county service area.
Exhibit 29 Weighted Score Heat Map

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Recommendations
The ELC recommends the following for the Northern Illinois Food Bank:
● The inclusion and use of Pivot Tables, Pivot Charts, and Slicers in the Needs
Assessment Profile
● The Inclusion of a static Operating Report for use by those who may not need full
access to the data provided by the Profile
● The use of a Dashboard as a one-sheet, visual representation of the data within
the Profile
● The use of Heat Maps to easily identify areas of need that the Food Bank could
focus on

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Data Disparity
Background
During the Phase I research, disparities
between ACS Census data and USDA
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) SNAP
Application became problematic. With the
major differences between data sets, it
led to an inaccurate meals calculation
because the SNAP Needs Assessment
database is sourced from Census data
and the meals computations should be
based on SNAP Application data.
The task of the Phase II Team was to review the Phase I research, as well as
conducting its own, to determine meaningful assumptions and adjustments to the meals
calculation. This included the analysis of the “Big 3” non-income characteristics of
seniors, Spanish speakers, and unemployed individuals.
This will be used to determine an appropriate rationale that could be developed and
applied to provide reliable assumptions to convert between the SNAP Needs
Assessment profile and Feeding America SNAP impact meals calculator to determine
the served and underserved meals.
Methodology
The following outlines the methods and steps to develop a conversion factor that may
be applied to determine a more appropriate number the American Census Survey
(ACS) data compared to USDA FNS SNAP Application data. Rationale is provided in
the body of this report.
1) Determine the number of Households receiving SNAP benefits
2) Calculate percentage changes of households receiving SNAP benefits
3) Compute the difference between FNS and ACS data across 10 years (Factor #1)
4) Use formula and incorporate “Big 3” data (Factor #2)

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5) Underreporting factor (Factor #3)
According to the article, Errors in Survey Reporting and Imputation and Their
Effects on Estimates of Food Stamp Program Participation by Bruce D. Meyer
and Robert M. George, 32% of individuals do not report that they are receiving
SNAP benefits to the ACS survey. This research and methodology was used
specifically in the state of Illinois, as well as Maryland, and the study was done in
2011. A 2016 study focusing on Texas and New York applied this same method.
6) Combine all factors and apply to Census data
● Once all factors have been computed for the years 2005-2015, sum all values
and take the average
● After this conversion factor is computed, multiply it by each Illinois household
receiving SNAP benefits data value determined by the ACS data set for the years
2005-2015
Exhibit 30 Final Conversion Factor
Assumptions
The following assumptions were applied to develop our methodology. These
assumptions will help enable Northern Illinois Food Bank to have a better understanding
of both the methodology and the data used.
Primary differences between Census data (ACS) and SNAP Administrative data (FNS)
were identified by the Phase I SNAP Team and are due to:
1. Underreporting of benefits - the issue of underreporting of benefits is well
documented and has been a problem for many years.
2. Inconsistent different methods for reporting income eligibility
a. How information is collected
b. The components of the data
Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 1.63

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3. Reporting periods
a. ACS - Annual 12-month income (averages the 12-month period)
b. FNS - Current monthly income
c. Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustments (ACS data)
4. Changing economic conditions
a. ACS uses 12-month reporting but adjusts for differences between the
calendar year reporting and the month of interviews using the CPI
b. ACS is determined to be less responsible than FNS, which uses current
monthly reporting.
c. In periods when economic conditions are...
i. Deteriorating: ACS estimates will likely understate eligibility
ii. In recovery: ACS estimates will likely overstate eligibility
iii. More pronounced for the three-year and five-year ACS estimates
than for the one-year ACS estimates
iv. 2008-2009 major economic downturn pattern shows a faster pace
of increase in reported FNS data than in ACS data used to estimate
2014 using 2010 census data
d. Different “household” definitions
i. ACS tends to have lower results than FNS
ii. ACS inclusive (includes all living in the same residence)
iii. FNS may consider multiple economic units within the same
residence
e. Errors made in the process
i. Survey sampling errors exist in ACS census data while application
procedures errors exist in FNS data
ii. Minor parts of the ACS data are incomplete or inaccurate and there
are mistakes in the certification/application entry

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Exhibit 31 Differences between FNS and ACS data
Underreporting
Benefits
Reporting
Income
Household
Definitions
Economic
Conditions
Errors
FNS -- - Monthly
Income
- Data
collected by
application
- Multiple
economic
units in one
residence
- Increase in
reporting
during
2008/2009
economic
crisis
- Application
procedures
- Incomplete/
inaccurate
information
ACS 32% - Annual 12
month income
- Adjusts for
CPI
- Data
collected by
survey
- Includes all
individuals in
one
residence
- Tends to
have lower
results than
FNS
- Deteriorating
conditions:
ACS
understate
eligibility
- Recovery:
ACS
overstates
eligibility
- Survey
sampling
- Incomplete/
inaccurate
information
Deliverables
Compute 10-year trends between FNS and ACS data
Exhibit 32 FNS vs. ACS data

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Determine Non-income Characteristics That Affect Disparity Between ACS vs. FNS
The major “Big 3” non-income characteristics in the conversion factor calculation were
seniors, Spanish speakers, and unemployed. It was determined that these three
characteristics were ultimately major factors that caused ACS data to be reportedly
lower than FNS data with individuals receiving SNAP benefits.
Another significant factor in the data disparity between US Census data and SNAP
applications data is the underreporting of benefits.
Findings
Throughout the research, the ultimate goal was to find an appropriate rationale that may
be developed and applied to provide reliable assumptions to efficiently convert between
the SNAP Needs Assessment Profile and SNAP-based meals calculator to determine
served and underserved meals.
Starting with the unadjusted unenrollment rate and using the new conversion factor, a
new adjusted unenrollment rate was determined. The ACS data is multiplied by the new
conversion factor to get a new adjusted number that is close to the FNS data. With this
new number, the meals calculation will be more accurate in determining the served and
underserved meals consumption.
Exhibit 33 Adjusted by Conversion Factor

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By using the conversion factor of 1.63 and multiplying it by the total number of Illinois
households receiving SNAP benefits, according to the ACS, it generated a new value.
Although this new value isn’t perfectly the value of the total number of Illinois
households receiving SNAP, as reported by the FNS, it is closer than if it was kept at
the original value. With this new number for Illinois households receiving SNAP benefits,
it will help Northern Illinois Food Bank determine served and underserved meals.
Exhibit 34 Post-Conversion Disparity
Table 35 Estimate of Households With Conversion Factor
Using the 13-county level data from the 2014 data spreadsheet and Hollie’s data
analysis from the Phase I report, the 1.63 conversion factor was applied in order to
determine new values of total eligible households, participating households, and
unenrolled households. These new values will then be placed in the Feeding America
SNAP impact meals calculator to determine the served and underserved meals
consumption.

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Exhibit 36 Adjusted Meals Calculation
For the new updated enrolled/unenrolled input calculations, the percentages were
changed to compliment the 1.63 conversion factor. The conversion factor was applied to
the original percentages of enrolled and unenrolled because the new conversion factor
is the adjustment to correct for underreported households.
Exhibit 37 Adjusted Meals Calculation

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By using the new percentages of enrolled and unenrolled households, we were able to
adjust the numbers to create a new meals calculator computation.
One main driver that was found in developing this new meals calculation was
determining that the 57,000,000 meals that Northern Illinois Food Bank provides is a
fixed number. With this value being “fixed”, the total number of meals served in the 13-
county region increases from 150,146,341 to 410,400,000. As the total number of meals
served increases, the percentage of Northern Illinois Food Bank’s meal share in the 13-
county region decreases from 38% to 14%.
After determining the new percentage of Northern Illinois Food Bank’s share of meals in
the 13-county region, we determined the actual number of meals.The Phase I Team
determined 51,250,049 meals were needed to serve, but after using the conversion
factor, as well as our new calculations, 13,294,207 meals were determined.
Recommendations
● Apply conversion factor that was determined by the methodology conducted by
the Phase II team, to ACS data, and use for Feeding America SNAP Impact
meals calculator.
● Convert between the SNAP Needs Assessment Profile and Feeding America
SNAP Impact meals calculator.
● Input the updated data into the Feeding America SNAP Impact meals calculator.
Placing the adjusted ACS data in the meals calculator will allow Northern Illinois
Food Bank to determine the served and underserved meal consumption based
on the results.
● Apply the updated conversion factor and meals calculation to each individual
census tract in the 13-county region.

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Seniors
Background
The Supplemental Nutritional
Assistance Program allows citizens 60-
years and older to be defined as
seniors, and they are eligible to receive
SNAP benefits if they are under 200%
of the poverty level. The Phase I Team
could not find accurate data for the
previously mentioned criteria, and
consequently 65 years and older at
100% poverty level criteria was used to
do the needs assessment. One
deliverable of the Phase II ELC team
was to provide more accurate data for eligible senior households for the needs
assessment profile of Northern Illinois Food Bank.
Assumptions
Exponential Growth Assumption
Phase I data listed senior households at 100% poverty level for households with
individuals 65-years or older. However, SNAP eligibility allows senior homes at 200%
poverty level with individuals 60-years or above to receive benefits. Instead of simply
multiplying the number of households computed in Phase I by 2 (as a straight-line
growth) to compute this new number, we would expect the number to rise exponentially
due to the income getting closer to the mean, median, and mode income level of the
population.

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Exhibit 38 Exponential Growth
Uniform Distribution
For any given age level, it is assumed that, for near poverty level incomes, there is an
equal distribution of individuals, as defined by age. This can be assumed since while
there are drastically less seniors compared to the majority of the population, their
average income is also lower. Conversely, people ages 18-59 outnumber seniors, but
their average income is also higher. This distribution becomes less accurate for the
smaller population sample size.
Exhibit 39 Uniform Distribution

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Methodology
Based on the information available through American Census Surveys (ACS), the
following formula was used to compute households at the 200% poverty level with at
least one occupant who was 60 years or older: The percentage of seniors of a census
tract multiplied by the percentage of population at 200 poverty level at that census tract
multiplied by the total households at that census tract.
A number of assumptions and estimates were made to determine the final number of
senior households that qualify for SNAP benefits. These are both outlined in either the
Assumptions or Standard Operating Procedure sections above and below, respectively.
Standard Operating Procedure
A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document was developed for Phase II to outline
the methods and steps to determine the conversion formula to compute seniors 60
years and older at 200% poverty level using seniors 65 years and older at 100% poverty
level data.
Computing Percentage of Seniors
The first step in computing the number of seniors who is 60 years and older at the 200%
poverty level was to first determine the number of seniors at the census tract level. The
Phase I Team had already completed this step, but the Phase II Team also imported
five-year estimates for not just 65 years and older, but 60 years and older as well. The
purpose of this adjustment was to first refine the total need of senior households in 2014
– the most recent year for which ACS had the required information – and secondly to
analyze the trend of senior population growth in the census tracts. With proper growth
models, the Phase II Team could project future senior households with reasonable
accuracy through 2020 when the census tracts are updated again.
60-65 Household Ratio
It was determined necessary to have a conversion factor from 65 years and older
households to 60 years and older households. This was computed in years 2010-2014
by taking the number of senior households that are 60 years and older in each census
tract and dividing them by the number of senior households that are 65 years and older
in the same census tract, then subtracting 1. This would give the percentage increase
from 65 to 60 year households.

NIFB F16 FINAL PAPER

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