Our study focuses on the East Alabama Food Bank (EAFB), which is part of the Second Harvest system of food banks. It serves several counties in east central Alabama and covers a mix of rural and urban communities. Through probability in proportion to size methods, we selected a sample of 6 rural and 6 urban member agencies of the EAFB. Specifically, we focused on food pantries, which distribute food for home preparation and consumption. Through site visits, and interviews with directors, we developed a case study of this agency. We also conducted face-to-face interviews of a sample of low-income community residents, some of whom are food bank users, and some of whom are not.

In the surveys, we addressed the following points: demographic characteristics, economic characteristics, reasons for need for food assistance, level of "food insecurity," transportation needs and availability, history of food pantry use, perceived obstacles to food pantry use, and use of government programs such as Food Stamps or TANF.

We examined the survey results for differences in urban and rural responses. A large portion of our total sample had minor children living at home. Many were single mothers. A sizable sub-group of rural pantry users were elderly people. The majority of respondents had incomes less than $15,000 per year, with rural residents somewhat more likely to be in the lowest income brackets.

Food pantry users reported a high level of satisfaction with the services received. Transportation to the pantry site was at least sometimes a problem for about one-quarter of pantry users, across rural and urban locations. The biggest obstacle for non-users appeared to be lack of knowledge of the pantry availability. A central finding of the study is the high degree of variability in the operation of the different food pantries within the EAFB system.