❮ Projects page Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger

Spatial Analysis Project:

Since 2002, the Coalition Against Hunger has helped more than 50,000 people in Philadelphia apply for SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), the most effective nutrition program in fighting hunger. Despite the growing number of SNAP participants in the city, we estimate that there are still 180,000 low-income residents who qualify for the program but aren’t taking part.

How can our organization more effectively reach those residents in need? This spatial analysis project would identify specific communities that are underserved by our organization based on 1) residential data for clients we’ve assisted with SNAP enrollment over the past two years and 2) number of SNAP-eligible residents in each community based on income data for all Census tracts.

The Summer of Maps project would also help the Coalition to more strategically market to those residents through our existing public transportation campaign on SEPTA. Every year, the Coalition advertises its SNAP (Food Stamp) Hotline through a citywide SEPTA campaign on subways, buses and train stops, which generate more than 1,200 calls to our hotline every spring. By overlaying SEPTA transportation data with areas of highest need, we could place targeted ads on transportation lines that would reach more of those residents.

Data available:

• Residential data for the more than 10,000 clients we’ve assisted through our hotline over the past two years.
• Census data that provide figures on the number of residents in each Census tract whose incomes would most likely make them eligible for SNAP, i.e. 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
• Geographic data for SEPTA transportation routes.

Maps and Reports that will be created:

• Map how many residents in each Census tract of Philadelphia are likely eligible for SNAP, based on their household income.
• Map the number of residents we’ve assisted in applying for SNAP in each Census tract.
• Map SEPTA bus, subway and trolley lines, possibly with ridership figures.
• Analyze whether our assistance of clients in each Census tract is proportionate to the need in each tract, based on what is known about household income among residents.
• Identify Census tracts that are underserved by our organization.
• Determine which SEPTA routes would be the most effective for us to place advertisements to reach residents in those areas.

How the maps and reports will be used:

We will use the maps and reports to determine which Philadelphia Census tracts we have not adequately served and develop a more strategic SEPTA marketing campaign to better reach residents in those areas. Using additional Census demographic data on these tracts, we can also tailor our outreach to those residents. For instance, if an underserved tract has a large number of Spanish-speaking residents, we could place Spanish-language ads on the appropriate SEPTA lines. In addition, maps will help us demonstrate to funders of the SEPTA campaign that we are committed to using their dollars strategically to reach the families who need our help most.