Abstract
The Nutrition Services Program Outcomes Evaluation estimated the impact of receiving nutrition services on participants’ food security using survey responses from over 2,200 participants and matched eligible nonparticipants. Although the majority of participants were food secure, nearly one-fifth had experienced food access limitations due to lack of money or other resources—they were food insecure. Congregate meal participants had a lower rate of food insecurity (15.5%) than nonparticipants (19.5%). For lower-income individuals, the difference was nearly twice the size. Home-delivered meal participants and nonparticipants had similar rates of food insecurity, but the prevalence of very low food security (VLFS)—a severe form of food insecurity—was higher among participants who receive meals fewer than five days per week compared to nonparticipants (25.8% vs. 15.9%). For the majority of participants who receive meals five days per week, however, the prevalence of VLFS among participants was similar to that among nonparticipants.