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IMPLICATIONS OF COLLEGE STUDENT POPULATIONS ON FOOD BANK DISTRIBUTION: A CASE STUDY USING GIS *Martin, J.R.(1), *A.N. Zahner(1), S.A. Hageman(2) and D.P. Fox(2), (1)Harvesters: The Community Food Network
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| Harvesters: The Community Food Network distributes food and products in Missouri and Kansas. The organization relies on ESRI population projections to obtain the number of people living in poverty at the zip code level. Harvesters calculates a pounds per person in poverty (PPIP) value, which determines distribution amounts. If this number is inaccurate it can incorrectly distribute 100’s-1000’s of pounds to distribution sites. The census bureau attempts to account for college students living in dormitories, however, any college town will have students recorded into the poverty data, especially those living in off campus housing. Thus, an examination of known college student populations is one way to assess the impact students may have on PPIP values. Geographic analysis using GIS software reveals 15 university populations contained within the 26 counties receiving assistance from Harvesters. All 15 universities revealan increasedlevel in population density at the block level demographic. Class limits on the map key are commonly distributed for populations in terms of 100’s per square mile but the largest class limits for some block level maps are commonly 2-3x higher with a few 30-50x higher than expected on college concentrated areas. This study demonstrates the importance of understanding data collection and reporting issues regarding unique populations for organizations that make critical decisions based upon them. |
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