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

University of Northern Iowa

Kelley O’Brien

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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

Key Words: food assistance • food bank • food stamps • food pantries

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Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Vol. 33, No. 4, 655-672 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0899764004269145


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Berner, M. Articles by O’Brien, K. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?