PUBLIC AND PRIVATE FOOD ASSISTANCE CHOICES OF FOOD NEEDY FAMILIES

Abstract

Abstract A bivariate probit model was used to determine public and private food assistance participation among the population below 125 percent poverty level, using the Current Population Survey data. Food stamp use and food pantry use were complements. Household income, food insecurity status, household structure, and rural residence affected participation decisions. Keywords: bivariate probit model, food stamp, food pantry, food insecurity Introduction Low-income, food-needy families in the United States can choose from an array of strategies to help them cope with their food needs. Government programs, such as the Food Stamp Program, represent the more formal and bureaucratic end of the food assistance spectrum. Alternatively, food-needy families may rely on highly informal, family-based coping strategies, such as buying a few low-cost staples and stretching their use or relying on friends or relatives for meals. The use of food pantries and other organized forms of private food assistance could be considered a middle-ground coping strategy in terms of its formality. While many studies have examined causes of food insecurity and reasons for Food Stamp Program participation (e.g. Gleason, Schochet and Moffitt; Rosso and Folwer; Wilde et al.) , and others have focused on food pantry or soup kitchen use (e.g. Daponte et al., Duffy et al.), few studies have examined the interrelationship of private and public food assistance programs. It is not yet fully understood, for example, whether food stamp users -- if all other factors, such as family food insecurity level, are equal -- are less likely, more likely, or equally likely to use food pantries than those in similar circumstances who do not participate in the Food Stamp Program.