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The Other Half: An Examination of Monthly Food Pantry Cycles in the Context of SNAP Benefits

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  • Anne T. Byrne
  • David R. Just

Abstract

This study contributes to the growing literature on household resource allocation across time by examining monthly cycles of food pantry visitation. This study uses 13 years of data from over 40,000 households who visited the Food Bank for Larimer County in Northern Colorado. Analysis reveals that pantry visitation fluctuates dramatically by day of the month and is highest at the end of the month among the general pantry client population. Further analysis examines these monthly cycles with consideration for the Colorado SNAP distribution schedule, with results that suggest pantry visitation increases when SNAP benefits run out. JEL CLASSIFICATION D15 (Intertemporal Household Choice); Q18 (Food Policy)

Suggested Citation

  • Anne T. Byrne & David R. Just, 2021. "The Other Half: An Examination of Monthly Food Pantry Cycles in the Context of SNAP Benefits," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(2), pages 716-731, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:apecpp:v:43:y:2021:i:2:p:716-731
    DOI: 10.1002/aepp.13150
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Algert, S.J. & Reibel, M. & Renvall, M.J., 2006. "Barriers to participation in the food stamp program among food pantry clients in Los Angeles," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(5), pages 807-809.
    2. Craig Gundersen & David R. Just & Craig Gundersen & Emily Engelhard & Monica Hake, 2017. "The Determinants of Food Insecurity among Food Bank Clients in the United States," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 501-518, November.
    3. Kuhn, Michael A., 2018. "Who feels the calorie crunch and when? The impact of school meals on cyclical food insecurity," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 27-38.
    4. Travis A. Smith & Joshua P. Berning & Xiaosi Yang & Gregory Colson & Jeffrey H. Dorfman, 2016. "The Effects of Benefit Timing and Income Fungibility on Food Purchasing Decisions among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 98(2), pages 564-580.
    5. Karen S Hamrick & Margaret Andrews, 2016. "SNAP Participants’ Eating Patterns over the Benefit Month: A Time Use Perspective," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(7), pages 1-18, July.
    6. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2016. "Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2015," Administrative Publications 292103, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    7. Parke E. Wilde & Christine K. Ranney, 2000. "The Monthly Food Stamp Cycle: Shooping Frequency and Food Intake Decisions in an Endogenous Switching Regression Framework," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 82(1), pages 200-213.
    8. Shapiro, Jesse M., 2005. "Is there a daily discount rate? Evidence from the food stamp nutrition cycle," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(2-3), pages 303-325, February.
    9. Paul A. Samuelson, 1937. "A Note on Measurement of Utility," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 4(2), pages 155-161.
    10. Jessica E. Todd, 2015. "Revisiting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cycle of food intake: Investigating heterogeneity, diet quality, and a large boost in benefit amounts," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 37(3), pages 437-458.
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    Cited by:

    1. Anne T. Byrne & David R. Just, 2023. "What is free food worth? A nonmarket valuation approach to estimating the welfare effects of food pantry services," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 105(4), pages 1063-1087, August.
    2. Byrne, Anne T. & Just, David R., 2022. "Review: Private food assistance in high income countries: A guide for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    3. Anne T. Byrne & David R. Just & Christopher B. Barrett, 2023. "But it came from a food pantry: Product stigma and quality perceptions of food pantry offerings," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 54(2), pages 327-344, March.
    4. Hamel, Brian T. & Harman, Moriah, 2023. "Can government investment in food pantries decrease food insecurity?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    5. Alloush, Mo & Bloem, Jeffrey R., 2022. "The psychological toll of food insecurity," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 618-630.
    6. Tian, Zheng & Schmidt, Claudia & Goetz, Stephan J., 2022. "The Role of Community Food Services in Reducing U.S. Food Insufficiency in the COVID-19 Pandemic," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 47(3), September.
    7. Bullinger, Lindsey Rose & Fleckman, Julia M. & Fong, Kelley, 2021. "Proximity to SNAP-authorized retailers and child maltreatment reports," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    8. Cotti, Chad D. & Gordanier, John M. & Ozturk, Orgul D., 2021. "Does distributing SNAP benefits later in the month smooth expenditures?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D15 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Intertemporal Household Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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