Rural Hunger and Access to Healthy Food – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Hunger and Access to Healthy Food.
Serving Beyond Summer School: Reaching More Kids with Rural Summer Meals
A recorded webinar that provides 3 program examples of non-congregate summer meal service in rural areas. Discusses program details such as operations, distribution, scheduling, menu, marketing, and overcoming challenges. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Author(s): Lucretia Hertzock, Heidi Ottaway, Megan Adams
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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A recorded webinar that provides 3 program examples of non-congregate summer meal service in rural areas. Discusses program details such as operations, distribution, scheduling, menu, marketing, and overcoming challenges. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Author(s): Lucretia Hertzock, Heidi Ottaway, Megan Adams
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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1 in 10 Adults Ages 50 and Older Were Food Insecure in 2023
Provides 2013-2023 data on food insecurity in adults 50 and older. Includes breakdowns of food insecurity prevalence by state and demographic factors, including metro versus nonmetro location.
Author(s): Olivia Dean, Carlos Figueiredo
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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Provides 2013-2023 data on food insecurity in adults 50 and older. Includes breakdowns of food insecurity prevalence by state and demographic factors, including metro versus nonmetro location.
Author(s): Olivia Dean, Carlos Figueiredo
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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County Characteristics Associated With Receipt of Food Boxes Through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program
Reports on county-level food box distribution through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program between May 2020 and May 2021. Provides data on program funding and characteristics of food distributed by program round. Examines associations between likelihood of receiving food boxes and county-level rurality, access to food, and other demographic factors.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): Keenan Marchesi, Saied Toossi, Katy Georg
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Reports on county-level food box distribution through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program between May 2020 and May 2021. Provides data on program funding and characteristics of food distributed by program round. Examines associations between likelihood of receiving food boxes and county-level rurality, access to food, and other demographic factors.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): Keenan Marchesi, Saied Toossi, Katy Georg
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Reaching Rural Families with Grab & Go: Ideas for Transforming Summer Meal Programs
A recorded webinar that discusses strategies to implement grab-and-go non-congregate meal service programs in rural areas. Includes recommendations on planning, staffing, distribution models, and lessons learned.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Author(s): Karla Boudreaux Horton, Avary Maunakea, Beth Miller, Robin Hernandez
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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A recorded webinar that discusses strategies to implement grab-and-go non-congregate meal service programs in rural areas. Includes recommendations on planning, staffing, distribution models, and lessons learned.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Author(s): Karla Boudreaux Horton, Avary Maunakea, Beth Miller, Robin Hernandez
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Challenges in Researching the Diets of SNAP Recipients — Addressing Methodological Flaws and Emphasizing SNAP as an Anti-Hunger Program
Provides information on food insecurity in the U.S. and the role of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to improve access to healthy food. Includes state-by-state data on poverty, food insecurity, and SNAP usage, including percentage of SNAP households living in rural counties.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Food Research & Action Center
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Provides information on food insecurity in the U.S. and the role of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to improve access to healthy food. Includes state-by-state data on poverty, food insecurity, and SNAP usage, including percentage of SNAP households living in rural counties.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Food Research & Action Center
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Expanding Your Reach: Planning Your Rural Non-Congregate Summer Meal Service
A recorded webinar that discusses strategies to maximize the impact of non-congregate meal service in rural areas. Includes information on regulations, tools to locate suitable rural areas, operational considerations, program models, and more. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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A recorded webinar that discusses strategies to maximize the impact of non-congregate meal service in rural areas. Includes information on regulations, tools to locate suitable rural areas, operational considerations, program models, and more. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Rural Households Accounted for Nearly One-Sixth of U.S. Food-Insecure Households in 2023
Charts depicting the share of food insecurity in 2023 by residence area type.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Charts depicting the share of food insecurity in 2023 by residence area type.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Food Security Status Across the Rural-Urban Continuum Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines food insecurity across the rural-urban continuum and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food access in various locations. Utilizes 2015-2019 and 2020-2021 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS FSS) data to analyze food security according to urban, large rural city/town, small rural town, or isolated rural town/area.
Author(s): Patrick J. Brady, Melissa N. Laska, Rachel Widome, Sruthi Valluri
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Examines food insecurity across the rural-urban continuum and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food access in various locations. Utilizes 2015-2019 and 2020-2021 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS FSS) data to analyze food security according to urban, large rural city/town, small rural town, or isolated rural town/area.
Author(s): Patrick J. Brady, Melissa N. Laska, Rachel Widome, Sruthi Valluri
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Key Findings from a 2024 Survey of Native American Caregivers: Experiences with Food Access and the Summer Meals Program
Examines food insecurity for families in tribal areas and the use of federal food programs. Analyzes data from the Family Spirit FOOD (Finding Opportunities and Options for Distribution of Nourishing Food for Tribal Communities) Survey to analyze use of congregate and rural non-congregate Summer Meals Programs.
Author(s): S. Vanegas, A. Harris, N. Neault, K. Nelson, A. Barlow
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Indigenous Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, No Kid Hungry
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Examines food insecurity for families in tribal areas and the use of federal food programs. Analyzes data from the Family Spirit FOOD (Finding Opportunities and Options for Distribution of Nourishing Food for Tribal Communities) Survey to analyze use of congregate and rural non-congregate Summer Meals Programs.
Author(s): S. Vanegas, A. Harris, N. Neault, K. Nelson, A. Barlow
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Indigenous Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, No Kid Hungry
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Food Access Interventions in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities: A Scoping Review
Examines food access in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and provides a scoping review that analyzes social ecological model (SEM) levels and their related food access interventions. Includes discussion on AI/AN food access issues in rural tribal locations.
Author(s): Danya Carroll, Lynn Mad Plume, Nicole Redvers
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 14(1), 11-28
Date: 01/2025
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Examines food access in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and provides a scoping review that analyzes social ecological model (SEM) levels and their related food access interventions. Includes discussion on AI/AN food access issues in rural tribal locations.
Author(s): Danya Carroll, Lynn Mad Plume, Nicole Redvers
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 14(1), 11-28
Date: 01/2025
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Last Updated: 1/30/2026