INCREASING

PARTICIPATION
IN FREE SUMMER
MEAL PROGRAM
IN NEW YORK

NGOZI G. NWOSISI

PHOTO BY BLEFF (COMPILATION), FOR PROPER AUTHOR ATTRIBUTION SEE SOURCE IMAGES / CC BY-SA 3.0
 Background
Premise
CONTENTS Approach
Result
Lessons learned
Background: Program Description
• Summer Meal Program for individuals aged 18 and under.

• Provided at multiple sites

• Federally sponsored

• Managed by the New York State Department of Education and Department of Health

• Advised by Community Food Advocates of New York (CFA)

• Study informed policy design and program implementation

PROBLEM/PREMISE
•Enough food, but not enough individuals eating them

•Program has been around for years, yet it is a recurring problem

•Need to understand why and try to get more individuals engaging in the program
OBJECTIVES
• To identify methods of quantitative and qualitative research that can be useful in
understanding individuals’ perceptions, attitudes, knowledge, and preferences in
relation to their decision to make use of the meal program.

•To analyze the results to provide further insight to CFA to understand the low
participation trends.
AIMS
• To conduct a user study of adults in New York City concerning their knowledge and
use of free summer meal program in the city by directly seeking their insights

• To assess current satisfaction level of users by administering semi-structured survey

for analysis

• To observe and record interaction patterns of individuals and groups in relation to

meals provided at meal sites
Target Boroughs
• Manhattan
• Bronx
• Queens

RECRUITMENT SITES:
• Public schools
• Parks
• Pools
• Libraries
• Mobile Trucks
PROGRAM
ASSESSMENT
Low participation from users
was due to the following
assumptions.
Suspected causes:
Stigma of being poor
Proximity to food center
Lack of awareness of program

PHOTO BY JOHANNES VINGBOONS (1616–1670) / PUBLIC DOMAIN

DEMOGRAPHICS
Observed users were:
•Low-income
Racially diverse: African-American,
Hispanic, Caucasian, Asian,
Islanders.
Male and female
Aged 18 and under
Survey participants were usually
adults, by themselves or adults
accompanying children
50 participants total

PHOTO BY ALEX PROIMOS FROM SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA; CROPPED BY BEYOND MY KEN (TALK) 00:05, 29 AUGUST 2014 (UTC) / CC BY 2.0
INCLUSION CRITERIA
Any adults

Adults with children

At or near the meal sites

Meal sites or streets very near the meal sites

EXAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM SURVEY
Where do you live?
Do you have school-aged children aged 18 and under?
Have you heard about the Summer Meal Program?
Do you use the program? (if yes, rate your experience; if not, please explain why)
Would you recommend the program to others?
FINDINGS
Flyer schedule contained inaccurate times of operation and contact numbers
Survey was only available in English. 30% of individuals did not have English as their primary
language
-- flyers were in 2 more languages
60% of people interviewed we aware of the program; vs 40% who were not
55% participants loved the program and utilized it
15% knew about the program, would recommend to others, but not utilize it
Some did not know about the program
Others knew about the program, but would neither recommend nor use
WORD FROM THE STREETS
It was interesting to note that while some parents/guardians would recommend to
others, they wouldn’t buy in to it themselves.
So, I asked why and got the following responses.

“My child is a picky eater.”

“We prefer to cook our meals at home.”
“The meals (at the meals sites) are not nutritious enough”
“Milk is frozen, and my kids cannot enjoy their meal with something they cannot drink”
STATUS REPORT
Weekly meeting with program
director and board to debrief
Insights from the field provided
lots of teaching moments around
the table (lots of ohhs, wow’s),
especially the milk situation
Provided reports and submitted
weekly survey batches at the
end of the week

PHOTO BY DAVE LINDBLOM / CC BY 2.0

 Stigma was not identified as a barrier preventing
individuals from utilizing the program

ASSUMPTIONS Lack of knowledge of the product

REVISITED
Proximity
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CFA
Make surveys available in more languages
Advertise early to increase awareness
Update flyer schedule with accurate times of operation and contact numbers
So, results not robust enough hopefully program update serves the needs of non-
English speakers, too
Make your research team mirror your customers
 Feedback provided fed into policy design at the local
level

RESULTS Director of Policy and Advocacy implemented changes

Program saw 20% increase the next year 2015
1.1 million kids in NY utilize the program in 2018
Personal Role and Takeaways in the Big Picture
ROLES
• Observe participants in their natural habitats
• Recruit individuals to participate in survey
• Make notes of observation
• Created and Maintained log book of observations about the perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of 50+ users of diverse racial
backgrounds across Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx.
• Drove policy re-design and update by communicating feedback from research to larger team

LEARNINGS
• Talking to people is fun and challenging! Know how to read body language, when to approach, detour… etc
• Patience and adaptability is key 
• There is so much we can learn from speaking with individuals
• However, time is precious and should be spent in concise interview/people interactions
• Frustration with slow days
 Focus on users
SOME Engage broadly, including individuals with disability

PARALLELS Bring the outside in