The estimated number of individuals who received charitable food assistance (CFA) in 2021 is derived from two primary sources of information:
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The Urban Institute's Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS)
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The Current Population Survey (CPS), December Supplement
The WBNS ask respondents whether they have received charitable food assistance in the past 30 days and past 12 months, using two survey questions that were developed and tested by Feeding America to improve the consistency, accuracy, and reliability of data about charitable food assistance participation in the United States. Go here to learn more about that survey module.
Because the WBNS is representative of households with a working-age adult 18-64, results from the WBNS are supplemented with insights from the CPS.
How we calculate this estimate is shown in the graphic below:
