Second Helping’s proprietary hunger analytics recently completed their first full calendar year (2024) of measuring food insecurity sentiment across mid-Michigan.
Launched in November 2023 to quantify backward-looking and forward-looking sentiment and attitudes regarding access to healthy, affordable food, the collection of monthly proprietary hunger analytics data were published every month in 2024.
The Second Helping Household Historical 12-Month Food Insecurity Index measures survey respondents’ sentiment regarding household access to healthy, affordable food during the past twelve (12) months. In December 2024, the index registered 5.30, down from 6.31 in January 2024. This signified the average mid-Michigan recipient of donated food assistance and survey respondent felt somewhat better than “Moderately Secure” regarding their household’s access to healthy, affordable food during the past twelve (12) months, but less secure than they did at the beginning of 2024.
The Second Helping Current vs. pre-COVID-19 Pandemic Food Insecurity Index measures survey respondents’ sentiment regarding household access to healthy, affordable food now compared to before the covid pandemic (i.e. before 2020). In December 2024, the index registered 5.63, down from 6.03 in January 2024. This signified the average mid-Michigan recipient of donated food assistance and survey respondent felt somewhat better than “About the Same” regarding their household’s access to healthy, affordable food now compared to before the covid pandemic (i.e. before 2020), but less secure than they did at the beginning of 2024.
The Second Helping Household Twelve-Month Expectations Food Insecurity Index measures survey respondents’ expected household access to healthy, affordable food twelve (12) months from now. In December 2024, the index registered 5.34, down from 6.09 in January 2024. This signified the average mid-Michigan recipient of donated food assistance and survey respondent felt somewhat better than “About the Same” regarding their household’s expected access to healthy, affordable food twelve (12) months from now, but less secure than they did in January 2024.
The Second Helping Children’s Historical 12-Month Food Insecurity Index measures survey respondents’ sentiment regarding their children’s overall access to healthy, affordable food during the past twelve (12) months. In December 2024, the index registered 5.41, down from 6.16 in January 2024. This signified the average mid-Michigan recipient of donated food assistance and survey respondent felt somewhat more than “Moderately Satisfied” regarding their children’s overall access to healthy, affordable food during the past twelve (12) months, but less secure than they did in January 2024.
The data are collected through a confidential survey responded to by recipients of food assistance. A respondent’s participation or non-participation in the survey does not impact one’s ability to receive food from Second Helping, Inc.
Michelle Ediva, Director of Hunger Outreach Programs at Second Helping, Inc., reports the hunger analytics provided valuable insights into prevailing food insecurity trends in mid-Michigan in 2024.
“Our survey respondents provided us with an abundance of data and information regarding food insecurity realities across mid-Michigan throughout the entire year of 2024, and for this we are extremely grateful. These data enable us to be more responsive to actual hunger needs across the communities we serve and maintain contact with those we serve. We look forward to expanding our data collection in 2025,” she noted.
Second Helping, Inc.’s hunger analytics are published the first calendar day of every month and report survey data from the preceding month.
