The Story of Food Insecurity: Broome County, NY

Starting in 1837, the formation of Chenango Canal, which connected the Susquehanna River to the Erie Canal, led to more efficient movement of people and goods to and from the area. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, Broome County was home to several large manufacturers, including but not limited to: International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Endicott Johnson, Ansco, and Link Aviation Devices [1]. There was a surplus of factory jobs and the economy of Broome County was flourishing. However, in the 1990s, several of these major companies began leaving Broome County in favor of larger cities, and the local economy started to decline.

A weak job market leads to higher unemployment and poverty rates. This means that some households could only afford to live in low income neighborhoods. These households often rely on cheaper food options, which are usually also less nutritious, because it is all they can afford. These neighborhoods are typically in areas of the county, where there may not be a grocery store or any healthy food options in walking distance. Limited access to healthy food sources in combination with a general lack of resources to increase food access contribute to food insecurity. Areas with insufficient access to healthy and affordable food sources are defined as food deserts.

Broome County's economy never fully returned to pre industry departure conditions. In 2020, the poverty rate in Broome was approximately 18.4%, the second highest in all of New York State. The county currently has an uneven distribution of emergency food sources, leaving several parts of the county with only 1 emergency food source or none at all.

The history of Broome County’s economic build up and subsequent collapse, while represented in the current income data available, has also negatively impacted many vital areas that pertain to the communities overall well-being. Many outside organizations, other than the Broome County Food Council, have conducted surveys, community, and health assessments in the past few years in an effort to get a better grasp on the overall well being at the county, state, and country level. The goals of these surveys and assessments are to lead to initiatives and plans of action to support and health the community members who are in the most need.

In 2022, a community wide health report was released by the Broome County Health Department, the Broome County Health Assessment Steering Committee, and dozens of community organizations. The report wanted to, by 2024, decrease the percentage of people who did not have a reliable access to food from 13.8% to 12.6% [3]. The report was not clear on how that baseline percentage of food insecurity was calculated and this must be taken into account when assessing food insecurity, then and now.

Another study that was conducted by the NYS Department of Health in 2021 tells a slightly different story. Their report states that in Broome County, 23.5% (17.29-29.9 95% CI) [4] of the population is food insecure, which is quite a large jump from the previous 13.8%. The metric that they used to create this percentage caused some inflation as anyone who was always, usually, or sometimes, “worried or stressed” about not being able to afford healthy food in the last 12 months was considered food insecure [4]. However, this definition of food insecurity does not fully include all the reasons that an individual may be food insecure and groups differing levels of food insecurity into one number, therefore nuance in the situation is lost. 

A third statistic to come out of 2022 regarding food insecurity is from the Food Bank of the Southern Tier (FBST), which services Broome and surrounding counties and Feeding America puts the percentage of food insecure individuals at 14.6% [5,6] which is more in line with the results to come from the Broome County Community Health Assessment. These results are only estimates based on a conglomeration of factors such as poverty, unemployment, homeownership, etc [6]. While this is moving towards a better definition, similarly to the statistics before, it reduces a myriad of factors to a single number, losing peoples personal experience in the process.

By and large, what these reports tell us is that there is certainly an issue of food insecurity in Broome County and, in 2021-2022, anywhere from 13.8% to 23.5% percent of the population suffers from some form of food insecurity (Fig 1.). What these studies are not able to tell us is the factors of food insecurity because of the different reports calculated to summarize food insecurity. An organization won’t be able to determine how income, transportation, household family member composition, or even the specific needs of the people impact their experience of food insecurity. The nuance in the data and personal experience is lost as food insecurity is reduced to a single metric. Without these focused statistics, the real issues at hand cannot be illuminated and consequently cannot be fixed.

In 2022, the Broome County Food Council began working on their food insecurity survey that they would send out to obtain more information on the population of Broome County. It took 6 months and 2 work groups to create the survey questions. They tested the survey with people with lived experience in order to fine tune it. It was sent out in June 2023 and was closed in October of the same year. The individuals who responded to the survey were those that accessed food insecurity resources, like food pantries.

The survey contained questions about demographics and their use of food assistance, with the ultimate goal of identifying trends in Broome County food insecurity in order to provide community members with more food and resource access. Examples of the types of questions asked were, how often do you receive food from outside organizations and have you ever faced challenges when trying to access food such as transportation, child care, health conditions, et cetera? These kinds of questions were asked in order to get more in depth information that was lacking in other survey’s the food council had access to.

Unfortunately, due to a gift card incentive for completing the survey, the survey was hacked and a bot was used to respond multiple times to get gift cards. Because of the passion for the project, the council sifted through thousands of fake responses to record the real ones. Council members also got paper responses with the help of multiple Binghamton clubs and organizations. The effort put into the survey's production, dispersal, and subsequent response sifting demonstrates the council's commitment and dedication to alleviating issues of food insecurity in Broome County.

The main questions the data analysis of the Food Council's survey responses aimed to answer were: how do we bring people to food sources and how can we bring food sources to the people? With the help of Binghamton University Digital and Data Studies students Julia Gnad, Kajsa Kenney, and Brianna Sexton, the responses collected from the food insecurity survey were organized into descriptive statistics tables and presented in several different visualizations. Of the total 1,292 survey responses, 753 respondents or 58.3% of respondents, received their food from a food pantry. Transportation and income were identified as the top 2 major barriers to accessing the food pantry [7]. Further examination of the 429 respondents who reported transportation as a barrier, about 79% of them received their food from the food pantry [8]. The recommendation based on this finding was to look into public transportation routes and the food access sites along those lines. Additionally, when looking closer at the 421 respondents that reported income as a barrier, it was found about 62% of them also received their food from the food pantry [8], making the food pantry the most used food resource among those who reported either transportation or income as a barrier. 

Once transportation and income were determined as two main obstacles to food access, the students used Tableau and geospatial mapping to visualize the responses of those who listed transportation and/or income as a barrier by zip code into two maps: one for transportation as a barrier and one for income as a barrier. This allowed for closer examination of how barriers change between zip codes. Contrary to predictions about where the transportation barrier would be most reported, it was found that the center of Binghamton (zip codes 13901, 13902, 13903, 13904, 13905) had the highest responses of transportation as a barrier compared to more rural areas in the county.

A Whitney Point (zip code 13862) focused descriptive statistics table showed that the major barriers of food accessibility in that specific part of Broome County were income and site hours/location of the food pantry with 19 out of 44 responses indicating income as a barrier and 12 out of 44 indicating site hours or location. Based on this finding it was recommended to further investigate Whitney Point location hours and potentially increase funding to Whitney Point Food Pantries, which is directly under the control of the food council.

There were several limitations throughout survey collection and analysis. A limitation of the actual survey itself was that the survey questions were not as detailed as they could have been. Broader questions left certain details up for assumption by respondents, and in this case, we cannot assume everyone had the same interpretations [9], leading to unreliable results. Response rates were also impacted as a result of collecting results by paper instead of digitally. The previously mentioned hack also caused some concerns with the deletion of valid data.

Many college students used their permanent addresses outside of the county instead of their Broome County address or zip code to fill out the survey, and therefore, could have had their responses deleted when the digital responses were sifted through after the hack [9]. The data was also not a random sample, which means that the data does not accurately represent the entire population of Broome. The survey data was mainly collected at food pantries, but also at community events. Though the data will accurately represent households that already use the food pantry as a resource, the main concern should be households who want to access the food pantry but cannot due to barriers. The data collected at the food pantry most likely excluded households that cannot access the food pantry due to transportation barriers, thus preventing the survey from forming an accurate representation of the entire county [10]. Collecting more data on households that cannot access the food pantry rather than those that already use the food pantry would have been more insightful and aligned more with the Food Council’s goal to increase accessibility of these services.

Another significant issue with the data was the demographics of survey respondents. There were several responses coming from individuals with higher incomes, and therefore, were not actually food insecure and most likely did not use the food pantry, which skewed the data [11]. Those responses were removed from additional analysis. The additional analysis placed a greater emphasis on low income households with an income between $0 and $30,000 annually and actual food pantry users’ responses.

Regardless of the limitations involved with the survey, the results and subsequent analysis were vital to the process of helping the food council guide initiatives to help reduce food insecurity. Without the statistical analysis, geospatial mapping, and dashboard creation, it would have been difficult to pinpoint the specific issue areas faced by the community regarding food insecurity. From these results, the BCFC was able to see the main factors of food insecurity in Broome County and were able to develop initiatives and action plans tasked with helping those who need it the most, where they need it the most.

From 1837 until the 1990’s Binghamton and Broome County had been at hotspot of economic prosperity, industry, and growth. When this industrial boom subsided and subsequently industries that supported the county had left the area, Broome County was left in a dire economic state. High unemployment rates led to low income, high poverty percentages, and an exodus to rural but more affordable areas of the county.

Over the past few years Southern Tier, state, and country wide surveys, reports, and assessments have all been conducted and released in order to get a better understanding of food insecurity. From these studies, food insecurity rates in Broome County can be placed anywhere from 13.8% to 23.5% in 2021-2022, which is quite a large difference in estimations. What the differences and discrepancies in these results showed was a fundamental misunderstanding and lack of information regarding the true and current factors going into food insecurity in Broome County. That is where the Broome County Food Council’s (BCFC) survey stepped in.

Analysis from the survey demonstrates key factors that impact an individual's use of food services on a day to day basis. The top two most common barriers that an individual faces in terms of access to food was income and transportation, taking a majority of the responses. Analysis of the responses by zip code show high rates of these responses coming from more rural areas of Broome County, in areas where there are significantly less food access points available for individuals in need. More complex analysis shows that not only does income and transportation affect food insecurity, but so does the number of adults and children in the household, as well as health conditions that individuals are afflicted by.

The result of this survey analysis was presented to the BCFC and from there, in conjunction with a multitude of other organizations and other data sources, was used to guide the efforts of the council in alleviating food insecurity across Broome County. With the analysis of the survey and subsequent initiatives by the food council, the burdens of food insecurity can hopefully be lifted off of those who need it the most.

The food access plan is a comprehensive working plan for Broome County with the goal of improving food access across the county, moving food to the people and people to the food, in order to decrease food insecurity and improve the health and economic stability of all community members [12]. There are five initiatives that involve year long action plans by the Broome County Food Council as well as development plans that will be done by expert consultants, hired by the Broome County Food Council leadership. The first initiative is to improve food access in Western Broome. The second is to improve food access in Eastern Broome. The third is to improve food access in the city of Binghamton. The fourth is to increase food access and nutrition resources within early childcare programs. The last is to support, advocate, and educate the Broome County community in the issues of workers income, transportation, and childcare. You may view the Food Access Plan  here. 

The Food Bank of the Southern Tier collected data on people and meals served. They found that the number of individual requests for food across all programs and agencies, from January to June 2024, went up 19% compared to the previous year and 61% compared to 2019 [13]. They also filled the most requests for food during the first half of 2024 of any January to June in their history. Pantries are up 19% compared to Q1 and Q2 of 2023 and 84% compared to the same times in 2019 [13]. Community meals are up 27% compared to Q1 and Q2 of 2023 and 59% compared to the same times in 2019 [13]. Mobile food pantries are up 7% compared to Q1 and Q2 of 2023 and 44% compared to the same times in 2019 [13]. They typically see their highest numbers in Q4, with a seasonal decrease in Q1 and then increases throughout the year [13]. This year, they saw a slight dip in pantry numbers from the peak in Q4 2023, but MFPs and meal sites have increased since that time frame [13]. They are on track to meet the goal number of meals in each of their counties since they have already met more than 50% of the goal in each county at the end of Q2 [13]. However, they know that need has increased since 2022, so the goal is probably lower than it should be [13].

Below are data dashboards that can give a more interactive explanation to the results produced from the survey. Click on them to expand and interact!

These interactive maps shows the locations of all Food Access and Community Resources in Broome County .

Explore the maps by zooming in to areas of interest.

-As you zoom in, the number of services available will change in the legend on the left. -By clicking on the point features in the legend, you can turn them on and off on the map. -Click on the points on the map for more information. -Expand the map to full screen by clicking on the icon in the upper right. -Other features include real-time location, search, and map-sharing options.

1. Smith, Gerald R. “From Cigars to Cure-Alls, Broome Has Legacy of Industry.” Press & Sun-Bulletin. Accessed December 5, 2024.  https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/connections/history/2014/12/26/cigars-cure-alls-broome-legacy-industry/20773967/ .
2. New Yorkers in Need: A Look at Poverty Trends in New York State for the Last Decade | Office of the New York State Comptroller. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2024, from  https://www.osc.ny.gov/reports/new-yorkers-need-look-poverty-trends-new-york-state-last-decade 
3. Broome County Community Health Assessment Steering Committee. “2022-2024 Broome County Health Assessment Update,” 2024.  https://broomecountyny.gov/sites/default/files/dept/hd/pdfs/Broome%20County%202022-2024%20Community%20Health%20Assessment%20Update%20FINAL.pdf .
4. New York State Department of Health. “Information For Action # 2023-12,” December 29, 2023.  https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/prevention/injury_prevention/information_for_action/docs/2023-12_ifa_report.pdf .
5. Food Bank of the Southern Tier. “Internal Data from the Food Bank of the Southern Tier,” 2024.
6. “Hunger & Poverty in the United States | Map the Meal Gap.” Accessed December 5, 2024.  https://map.feedingamerica.org .
7. Gnad, Julia, Kajsa Kenney, and Brianna Sexton. “BCFC: Summer 2023 Survey Analysis.” Presented at the Digital and Data Studies 425: Data Inquiry and Practice, November 7, 2023.
8. Gnad, Julia, Kajsa Kenney, and Brianna Sexton. “Broome County Food Council Summer Survey Analysis.” Presented at the Digital and Data Studies 425: Data Inquiry and Practice, 2024.
9. Gnad, Julia. “Broome County Food Council Research Paper,” December 13, 2023.
10. Kenney, Kajsa. “Broome County Food Council Survey Statistical Analysis,” December 12, 2023.
11. Sexton, Brianna. “A Study of Food Insecurity in Broome County,” December 13, 2023.
12. Broome County Food Council. “Food Access Plan: 2024,” 2024.  https://www.broomecountyfoodcouncil.org/broome-county-food-access-plan .
13. Miller, Kathryn. “Q2 2024 Statistics: People & Meals Served.” Food Bank of the Southern Tier, July 16, 2024.