Designing and completing an evaluation of the impact of a local 501c3 providing
healthy evening meals to 4500 disadvantaged children in Kent County,
Michigan
Tracy E. ThompsonMPH Candidate
Michigan State University
Grand Rapids, MI
• Population 190,000• 59.0% White• 20.9% Black• 15.6% Hispanic• Per capita income: $20,281 (MI: $25,482)• Below poverty: 25.5% (MI: 15.7%)
Kids Food Basket• 10-year old 501c3
organization• Primarily privately funded (30%
Foundation, 30% Corporation, 40% Individual)
• Mobilizes over 45,000 volunteer hours/year
• Sack Supper—well-rounded evening meal in a paper sack given at school, after-school, parks
• Started by serving 125 – now almost 6,000 served every week day
Evaluation Questions
• Is the food provided by KFB eaten? • What is being eaten most? What
wasted?• Is the program reaching children and
families in need? • How can KFB continue to evaluate its
programs in the future?
Evaluation Methods
• An incentivized child survey on each of the bag suppers (1197; 26.6%) • An observational waste study (149)• Online teacher survey (82; 27.3%)• Parent survey (422)• Child interviews (65)
Is the food that Kids Food Basket provides being eaten?
Sandwich Juice Box Banana Carrots Granola Bar Crackers0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
80.00
90.00
100.00
64.91
91.37
74.62
55.78
75.96 75.38
WastedSharedConsumed
Results—Child Interviews
Brother/Sister67%
Parents23%
Other10%
Who Sack Supper Is Shared With
PB&J Veg Chips Banana Juice Granola Bar
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Not EatenPartially EatenEaten or Taken
Waste Study
What is being eaten most?What is being wasted?
Pre-K K 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.0030.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
80.00
90.00
100.00
Sandwich
Juice Box
Banana
Carrots
Granola Bar
Crackers
Percent of Children by Grade who Report Eating All of an Item
Perc
ent
Results—Waste Study
PB&J Veg Chips Banana Juice Granola Bar0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Not EatenPartially EatenEaten or Taken
Is the program reaching children & families in need?
Yes No no answer0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
87.68
9.243.08
Of All Surveys (n = 422)Child is on Free/Reduced Lunch Program
Thank you!
Questions?
What’s Happening Now?
• Kids Food Basket received a Kellogg Grant• Using lessons learned on new evaluation