For many people living at or below the poverty level, transportation to a grocery store is a challenge that limits a household's ability to get food. Many of the larger grocery stores that can offer lower prices and better selection are located in more affluent suburban neighborhoods. Urban and rural low-income households that cannot afford a vehicle must use public transportation, walk or pay for a ride to get to larger stores. Using Network Analyst, we modeled areas that are within 30 minutes of a major grocery stores if a person had to walk or use public transportation. These data were then compared with U.S. Census poverty data to determine regions in the state where people have trouble accessing grocery stores that offer greater variety and lower prices.

The Summer Food Service Program funds primarily lunches and breakfasts and, in some cases, suppers or snacks for children in needy areas when school is not in session during the summer. This map is distributed though the web and the print media to inform the public of the service locations during the summer.

The URI Partnership for Food, Hunger and Nutrition has been studying the locations of key governmental facilities in relationship to the Rhode Island communities that need to access them. In this map we have located such places as Emergency Meal Sites and WIC offices. It becomes clear that there are areas of Rhode Island are currently underserved in providing services.

This Poster was exhibited in 2006 at the ESRI User Conference. It highlights the analysis of grocery store access on foot and by bus and the spatial relationship of that area with different age groups living below the poverty level in Rhode Island. It was selected for the ESRI Map Book Volume 22.