This short research memo discusses how residents of Cumberland County access charitable food based on a series of 13 interviews with neighbors who visited different food pantries across the county. A larger version of this memo includes neighbor experiences with food insecurity in Cumberland, as well as the CPFB researcher’s background and research methods.

Two Central Pennsylvania Food Bank researchers developed the flexible guide and conducted all 13 interviews. The interview guide, and the interviews themselves, asked about visiting a food pantry from the perspective of pantry users. The open-ended nature of the interview questions allowed clients to speak about the most relevant or pressing matters related to their own experiences.

Broadly, the CPFB researchers wanted to learn:

• Their impression of the experience overall including what could be improved;
• Additional challenges they may face beyond food access; and
• What pantry users “think the government should know” about food insecurity and food pantries.

Main Findings

Pantries serve as a stabilizing presence in people’s lives. This includes people who have been experiencing medical or financial crises, and those who need or want supplemental help. CPFB Researchers found that income eligibility requirements can prevent people from accessing food services as well as other important social services. Clients fear that making more money could lead them to lose access to their food pantry or other services. They also reported having friends who were denied services for making just over the income eligibility threshold.

When asked what the government should know about food insecurity, pantry visitors largely expressed that the government does not understand their lives, particularly how difficult it is to live on a fixed or limited income.

The Experience of Food Insecurity in Cumberland County

Food insecurity occurs along with other life de-stabilizing events.

Pantry users who experienced a job loss, homelessness, medical emergency, or other major life event viewed food pantries as a consistent, stable resource during an otherwise challenging time in their lives.

Further, people shared that they knew others who were “deserving or in need of help” from a pantry but were concerned that pantries did not serve these neighbors or family members due to income eligibility guidelines. These income eligibility guidelines were viewed by interviewees as out of sync with the financial reality of their lives.

Kathryn started attending Project Share a few years ago when “ugly things transpired” while switching careers due to injury. “I was a big proponent of (saving) your extra money. When you’re transitioning, you’re supposed to save two months’ worth of salary and all that kind of stuff to help with the process.” However, numerous unplanned events arose during this time, including a family emergency and a flooded basement one winter, which led to heating issues as well. “Our savings completely were demolished. So, we were getting by, but a little help would have been nice.”

Because she was already familiar with Project Share through her children’s cooking and nutrition classes there, Kathryn was relieved to be able to turn to receive services relatively quickly and make less “wicked, tough choices.”

Clients also generally turn to food pantries when in need of extra support.

Alli, a single mother, is employed in a profession that pays by commission, meaning that she does not receive pay on a consistent, bi-weekly basis. “So, me being able to go to somebody and say, ‘Hey, I need help,’ and them to be able to come up with a plan for me was excellent,” she said. “It just gives you a sigh of relief that, you know, you can get those little extra things that you might have not had the money for.”

Two clients began attending their food pantries when they experienced homelessness. Sofia registered to her food pantry when she arrived in the area from the northeast. She stayed with her son temporarily as she awaited approval for her own housing. Another pantry user was referred by an outreach worker to Project Share for food assistance “In 2014…I was living in my car.” She and her family are now housed and continue to visit the pantry.  A respondent who lacks stable housing reported visiting Project Share when living in different areas of the county: “I think there’s some other ones, but that’s the one that I’ve always known.”

A few interviewees were longtime pantry users. Wendy explained that even while her husband was still alive, they struggled to make ends meet every month on a fixed income. A friend who visited a local pantry offered to take her along one day, and she has attended ever since. Her husband passed away in 2021. Now with even less income, she envisioned that she will continue to use the pantry monthly into the future. Another user, Steph, has utilized food pantries across the county for the past 16 years.

Income eligibility requirements for food pantries and benefits programs limit clients from accessing resources to their full potential.

Income eligibility requirements aim to identify those most in need of immediate assistance but may also exclude vulnerable populations, creating additional barriers for those seeking help. This leaves individuals in a difficult position when their income is “too high” to qualify for SNAP, but still not enough to cover food expenses without assistance.

“We are afraid to make more money,” Taylor said. She fears that earning more income could lead her to lose access to Section 8 housing, SNAP benefits, and food pantry benefits. Her family is on a budget plan for their utility payments, but the amount they must pay has increased.

Susan asserts that food insecurity affects “more than just one type of people,” including double-income families that make “just a few bucks over” the limit.

Taylor spoke about a friend who went to a pantry for assistance but was told they were “$100 over the limit.” She felt the details of their personal situation justified getting more support.  “There should be flexibility with the rules, a case-by-case basis because sometimes you need it more than other times,” she said.

Food Insecurity and What the Government Should Know: “They should have to live like this”

Pantry visitors were asked what they would tell their local leaders or government about food insecurity and using food pantry services. Many pantry users felt that the use of food pantries was not understood by the government, and that income guidelines were not an accurate reflection of the need experienced by their families and friends. People “still need help even if they are ‘over’ the income limits because food is so expensive,” and local leaders are unaware of how widespread the issue is.

Further, programs like SNAP were often frustrating to navigate. According to survey data, just 45% of people who visit food pantries in Cumberland County also participated in SNAP. One user described his experience as “there’s always something that like I, either my ID is out of date, or my social security card is lost or hidden. It’s always, there’s always like one or two more steps I gotta go through before I can get paperwork turned in, but yeah, bureaucracy?”

Pantry users expressed the feeling that there is a disconnect between their own lives and the lives of the government officials who represent them. Many felt that elected officials would not understand their experiences without living through it. Wendy would tell the government “to come and live the way I do for 3 months. See what it is like to have to experience this, worry about how to pay a house repair or other unexpected bill.”

A family who was previously homeless challenged elected officials to experience the same: “government [officials] should have to be homeless for a month. See what it is like to live in your car, go to food pantries, beg for money from churches and be turned away for help.”

Another neighbor cited a similar lack of resources as a difficulty, stating “They couldn’t handle even a week like this.”

Pantry users also wanted their elected officials to understand the impact of having access to a pantry where they feel comfortable and welcome, especially in difficult circumstances.  “I would say when someone is reaching out for help, it’s the most devastating moment of their life, to think that they can’t do it themselves, even with the help that they’re already getting. And to know that they have a place to go. Even if it’s to get a book for your child is just a great thing to have in your community,” Alli said.

Conclusions

People experienced pantries as a stabilizing presence in their lives. For some, pantry services represented consistent, low-barrier support during times of extreme need and can be seen as easier to access and less invasive than government safety net programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This raises an important point for the individuals who fear losing access to this vital resource.

An urgent finding is that people who relied on government programs for access to housing, health insurance, and food were very sensitive to the impact of any possible changes in their eligibility for those programs. Pantries should ensure that people whose income is higher than the government eligibility threshold of 185% of the federal poverty line still have access to donated food.

In addition, pantries, with support from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, should consistently implement policies regarding how visitors who request help but are outside of the TEFAP or SFPP income guidelines will be served using privately funded food. Clear policies can alleviate uncertainty for pantry staff and visitors and can be revisited to reflect the changing needs of the community.

It is important to note that while the interviews that were conducted and the conclusions drawn from them are highly informative, they should not be considered to represent all people who experience food insecurity in Cumberland County. Interview responses used throughout this brief account only for people who currently visit food pantries and have agreed to participate in both the survey and interview. Future qualitative studies should include individuals who need or want to use pantry services but are not doing so in order to uncover additional shortfalls and barriers to access within the charitable food system.

Similarly, the recommendations made above should not be considered an exhaustive list of the changes that can increase opportunity for neighbors countywide. Moving forward, the first and best way to assess neighbor needs and develop suggested policy changes is for food pantries to engage with the people they serve. Occasional brief surveys or listening sessions can help gather honest feedback and point to specific problems that pantry leadership may not be aware of, including but not limited to transportation availability, hours of operation, and food preferences. There is much more that can and ought to be done to fully understand the experiences of food insecure residents of Cumberland County and take steps to support them as the charitable food network works to end hunger.

See this research memo to learn about neighbor’s experiences at their food pantries in Cumberland.