Research and Studies
Through the years, the Food Depository has teamed up with partners in the academic community and with other organizations to determine the extent of hunger in Cook County and seek new ideas for addressing the issue in our community. Download our fact sheets and learn more about our past studies, as well as current and upcoming projects.
New Studies
- Hunger in America 2010: This landmark new study reveals an unprecedented number in Chicago and Cook County seeking emergency food assistance. Read more | Executive Summary (PDF) | Fact sheet (PDF)
- Running on Empty: Nutritional Access for Children in Cook County: Identification of Gaps in Meals, Nutrition, and Food Delivery Systems in Cook County. Executive Summary (PDF) | Fact sheet (PDF)
Past Studies
Working Poor Study
In 2007, the Food Depository and University of Chicago Survey Lab partnered to conduct a study on the usage of food assistance programs among the working poor residents of Chicago and Cook County. The National Hunger Study, conducted in 2005 by America's Second Harvest—The Nation's Food Bank Network (now known as Feeding America), found that 39 percent of the households that receive food from the Food Depository include one employed adult. Fact sheet (PDF)
Cook County Unmet Need Study
The largest study of clients at food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters ever undertaken by the Food Depository identified 10 Cook County communities where the distribution of emergency and supplemental food does not meet the needs of the individuals and families who live there. The 2006 study was commissioned by the Food Depository and conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago's Center for Urban Economic Development. Fact sheet | Booklet (PDF)
University of Chicago Senior Study
In 2005, a study commissioned by the Food Depository and conducted by the University of Chicago Survey Lab showed that more than 70 percent of the low-income older adults surveyed in four selected neighborhoods were at "high nutritional risk." Fact sheet (PDF)
Other useful information
Hunger in Illinois—Feeding Illinois (formerly known as the Illinois Food Bank Association)
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty—Heartland Alliance & the Mid-America Institute on Poverty (MAIP)
State of the State (PDF)—Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)
Child Food Insecurity Statistics 2005-2007—In partnership with the ConAgra Foods Foundation, Feeding America determined just how many children are vulnerable to the debilitating effects of hunger in every state.
