Public Reports

Most of our projects do not result in publicly accessible reports, but here are a few that we can share. Our written content, graphics and illustrations are copyrighted. If you would like to use our work in a way other than viewing or citing it, please inquire about licensing permission.

Florida Meal Deficit Metric Update

Florida Meal Deficit Metric Update Our firm developed new hunger totals statewide through a granular analysis of over 11,400 hyper-local areas across Florida. The work was sponsored by Feeding Florida at the behest of its extremely capable Executive Director, Robin Safley. This is our THIRD statewide update across Florida. The report below provides the comparison of three time periods: pre-pandemic, during the […]

CALL TO ACTION TO ADDRESS FOOD INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE BIDEN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL

CALL TO ACTION TO ADDRESS FOOD INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE BIDEN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL: Lackawanna, Pennsylvania, lacking 8,704,878 meals per year because families cannot afford them  Lackawanna, Pennsylvania, includes the city of Scranton, which is birthplace of the sitting president of the United States of America, Joe Biden. Under the Biden Administration, attention and resources have been focused on the need for […]

The Ashtabula County, Ohio, SOLVE HUNGER Project

The Ashtabula County, Ohio, SOLVE HUNGER Project: Our research found that 4,667,220 meals per year are missed in this relatively small county of just under 100,000 residents because families cannot afford them  The most northeastern county in Ohio is Ashtabula, a name that translates in the “Delaware languages” once spoken by indigenous peoples to “always enough fish to go around, to be given […]

The Wilcox County, Alabama, SOLVE HUNGER Project

The Wilcox County, Alabama, SOLVE HUNGER ProjectOur research found that 686,000 meals per year are missed in this small rural county of 11,000 residents because families cannot afford them Most Americans who know at least the basics of both history and geography are aware that Montgomery is not only the state capital of Alabama but also both the final destination of the […]

COVID-19 EMPLOYMENT DISRUPTION & MISSING MEAL ANALYSIS UPDATE at a Granular Level Across Florida

COVID-19 EMPLOYMENT DISRUPTION & MISSING MEAL ANALYSIS UPDATE at a Granular Level Across Florida  Feeding Florida commissioned Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group (MG) – a firm with expertise in hunger, the economy, and statistical models – to conduct a COVID-19 employment disruption analysis at small geographic units across Florida as a pathway to understand and address the additional need for […]

FLORIDA COUNTY MAPS & MAP GUIDE: COVID-19 EMPLOYMENT DISRUPTION & MISSING MEALS

FLORIDA COUNTY MAPS & MAP GUIDE: COVID-19 EMPLOYMENT DISRUPTION & MISSING MEALS MG created HIGH RESOLUTION maps for every Florida county. Maps detail employment disruption, missing meals resulting from COVID-19, total pre-and-post pandemic missing meals, and other conditions.  Maps are large in file size, and each viewer’s display quality depends on the PDF software used for viewing. Older PDF software might […]

Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in Chicago

“Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in Chicago” demonstrates that where you live makes a real difference to where you can buy food and, indirectly, the quality of that food. The report explains exactly how opportunities and risks vary by neighborhood. But it doesn’t stop there. It also shows important differences between neighborhoods in the “balance” of […]

Food Access, Community Health, & Economic Prosperity Across Florida

Commissioner Adam Putnam of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has made these issues multi-year priorities, and all of us at MG are thrilled to support their innovative efforts, which include online data and mapping tools. Additionally, our 2014 analysis of the relationship between food access and diet-related deaths across Florida is now available to the public. Learn […]

Food, Health, and School Children’s Performance in Rural Iowa

MG had the pleasure of working closely with community leaders on a project sponsored by the Ottumwa Regional Legacy Foundation and the United Way of Wapello County to assess – block-by-block – the impact of the food environment on community health and on school children’s academic performance. We found statistically significant associations between distances to fringe and mainstream retailers and […]

Food Access and Hunger as Healthcare Issues – ProMedica

The MG team has been supporting ProMedica, a locally managed, nonprofit healthcare organization serving northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Our work includes a block-by-block food-and-health study of Toledo, Ohio, to help ProMedica and its Ebeid Institute for Population Health identify a high-impact location for its nonprofit grocery store. We also have assisted ProMedica with its business plan and community engagement […]

Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation – Boston

MG supported this cutting edge community development corporation with a feasibility assessment of Bartlett Place, an innovative mixed-use residential and retail redevelopment project located on an approximately 8.59-acre brownfield site in Roxbury, MA. The project is moving along! Learn more.

Harvest Co-op Markets – Boston

MG regularly assists Harvest Co-op – a community-owned grocery store – with feasibility assessments for multiple sites in the larger Boston area. Harvest is committed to building a vibrant community and healthier world by selling natural and organic food and by educating and supporting its diverse membership base. Learn more.

Food Desert and Food Balance Fact Sheet

In some communities, healthy food is hard to find. Learn how the lack of access to mainstream food options might be linked to obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases and conditions. Get the facts in our Community Fact Sheet!

Green Grocer Plans for Robins, Illinois

MG has been supporting DM Group Associates with a feasibility assessment for an energy efficient supermarket and a shopping center in Robbins, IL. The project would bring 200 jobs and fresh groceries to one of the poorest communities in Illinois. Stay tuned for more information.

Grass-fed Beef Survey – WellSpring Management

MG conducted an extensive survey across 6 states on opinions and practices concerning the consumption of meat, particularly grass-fed beef. The project was part of a larger effort of WellSpring Management, which focuses on locally grown foods and overall environmental practices that protect and sustain the planet.

Food & Health In Washington DC

In many areas, the D.C. food environment presents a serious health and wellness challenge to the city’s most vulnerable residents. This was demonstrated through a block-level study assessing the impact of the local D.C. food environment on public health by Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group. The study found that 88% of the over 520 food retailers are unhealthy “fringe” […]

Response to “Studies Question Pairing of Food Deserts and Obesity” – New York Times, April 18, 2012, pp. A1 and A3

The April 18th Times article on recent studies examining the link between “food deserts” and childhood obesity leaves the impression that food access does not matter in combating this epidemic. Our firm popularized the term “food desert” in the U.S. with the release of Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in Chicago (2006). We found strong relationships […]

The Chicago 2011 Food Desert Drilldown, 5th Anniversary Edition – October 2011

The full Drilldown provides never-before-released data and tables detailing the Food Desert population, as well as maps featuring community names, street identifiers, and aldermanic ward numbers. It also includes SNAP redemption figures and a message from Mari Gallagher that addresses the need to enforce current SNAP standards and raise them in the next Farm Bill. You might find a few […]

MEAL DEFICIT METRIC: Findings now released!

Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group and Feeding Florida, the premier statewide network of 12 food banks, are pleased to release the Meal Deficit Metric Project. Florida leaders stated that this novel approach will revolutionize how the organization solves hunger at an extremely localized level. This new study provides a more accurate representation of resources needed in every community across […]