Louisa County Survey of Food Insecurity and Unmet Needs
This multi-year, multi-faceted survey of residents of Louisa County was conducted From July, 2017 through May, 2018 to understand the needs of disadvantaged citizens, primarily concerning those who face food insecurity. The project was conducted in partnership with the Louisa County Resource Center (LCRC) which is the main source of supplemental food for Louisa County. The study used probability and non-probability methods in order to increase the number of disadvantaged households included in the survey data.
The specific goals of the survey were to:
- locate those in need who are not receiving services
- uncover specific geographic areas in Louisa that need more assistance
- learn how LCRC clients use the food assistance programs
- understand unmet needs of low-income Louisa residents, and
- gather information from all residents on local resource needs.
Louisa, VA is a primarily rural county with 35,860 residents comprising 13,146 households. The County population is 18.0% African-American and 2.7% Hispanic. According to 2017 estimates from the United States Census Bureau, 12.2% of residents fall under the Federal Poverty Level, while 30.6% are below 200% of that threshold.
CSR’s study found that prevalence rates for food insecurity in 2017 were much higher in Louisa (22.3%) than across Virginia (10.1%) and when compared to the USDA’s national data, which finds 11.8% of American households face food insecurity.
All at-risk respondents were asked whether they had received food, meals, or food assistance from any of a list of organizations, including Meals on Wheels, churches, and community organizations. Nearly 47% of these respondents said they had received help from community-based organizations (which includes the LCRC Community Cupboard), 20% received help from church or religious organizations, and 15.4% from WIC.
There is a high level of awareness among at risk residents of the LCRC food pantry. However, one-in-four of those with moderate, low, or very low food security did not use the food pantry, citing either that they did not need it or felt others were needier.
The survey successfully identified unmet needs for food assistance in the county (as well as other needs: Healthcare was mentioned by more than half of the at-risk respondents as a pressing non-food need, followed by financial assistance, transportation, and phone and internet access). As a result, LCRC has initiated a satellite food service in the Green Springs area of the County, and plans are under way for a similar service that will better address food needs in the County’s eastern end.
For the full report and related materials, download the files below.