Descriptive study of food pantry clients in Salt Lake County

In 2007, 13 million U.S. households were food insecure. The 2005-2007 household food insecurity average in Utah was 12.5%. The Food Stamp Program and community food pantries are two programs that food insecure households use to meet their food needs. The primary purpose of the study was to assess food security among food pantry users who received food from pantries located in Salt Lake County. The second purpose of the study was to describe the characteristics of those who received food from food pantries. Finally, data were collected with regard to other types of food assistance food pantry users received. Food pantry users in Salt Lake County were found to be overwhelmingly food insecure. Based on the participants' responses, the average food pantry user in Salt Lake County was living in poverty, was food insecure, and was seemingly eligible for food stamps and other food assistance programs but was not participating in these programs. Less than half of the participants were employed but still living in poverty, whereas the other half of the participants received some form of social security or retirement income-indicating that they were disabled or elderly. Many households were also faced with the stress of choosing between buying food and paying household expenses. For participants who received food stamps, a majority stated that the food stamps were spent before the end of the month.