• About the Study
• Methodology
  • Instrument Development
  • Training
  • Agency Survey
  • Client Survey
  • Response Rates
  • Analysis Methods
  • Reporting Conventions
  • Degree of Comparability
  • Number of A2H Clients Served
    • Background and Limitations
    • Overview of Findings
    • Estimates of Number of Pantries
    • Estimate of Number of Pantry Clients
    • Number of Kitchens
    • Different Clients Served By Kitchens
    • Shelters and Shelter Clients
    • Estimates of Different Clients
    • Discussion of Participation Estimates
• Key Findings
• Who We Serve
• How We Serve
• Local Picture
• Snapshot Comparisons
• Media Center

Estimates of Different Clients Across the Whole A2h System (4.8)

The estimates derived so far, along with additional data collected in the survey, make it possible to derive an estimate of the total number of different clients served by all three types of A2H emergency food providers, taken together.  Survey questions asked respondents whether they had used other types of providers (besides the one at which they were interviewed) during the week of the survey.  About 31% of kitchen users said they had also used a pantry, and about 31% of shelter users had used a kitchen or a pantry. 1 Using these data, together with the estimates of provider use derived earlier, we have calculated estimates of system-level clients (displayed in Table 4.8.1).  As shown, we estimate that between 23.7 and 27.0 million people used these providers in 2005.

Table 4.8.1
ESTIMATED ANNUAL  CLIENTS, UNDUPLICATED ACROSS AGENCIES
(PERSONS)

	Each Agency Type Considered Separately	After Correcting for Overlap of Clients Across Agencies a
1.       Estimated number of different pantry clients in a year	21.7 to 24.7 million	21.7 to 24.7 million
2.       Estimated number of different kitchen clients in a year	1.8 to 2.0 million	1.2 to 1.4 million
3.       Estimated number of different shelter clients in a year	1.3 to 1.4 million	0.8 to 0.8 million
4.       Total different clients in system	n.a.	23.7 to 27.0 million

a Any client using a pantry is counted under pantries.  Clients using only kitchens and shelters are counted under kitchens.

n.a. = not applicable.

1 Because we have data on cross-agency use only in a single week (the period before the survey), the figures on multiple-agency use reported in the text may somewhat underestimate the full degree of this type of use when used to estimate different clients in the annual estimates.  This is true because clients could have used other types of agencies in weeks other than the one asked about.  However, because most of the annual counts are based on a single agency type—pantries—we do not believe that the underestimation is substantial.  For instance, to establish a probable upper bound on the possible error, suppose the multiple-use factors reported in the text were doubled.  The resulting change in the overall annual estimate of different clients would then be less than 5%.