Chester County Food Bank

Exton, Pennsylvania 

Chester County Food Bank  seeks to ensure the highest standard for culturally appropriate evaluation tools and methods, determine the best methods for evaluating return and new program participants, and to learn from others about new ideas and enhancements for their program evaluation across all of their food bank’s programs.

Funded Program

One of Chester County Food Bank’s most successful programs is their EatFresh cooking and wellness classes which are available in English and Spanish and aim to provide education and resources to increase food literacy, promote a sense of wellbeing and empowerment, build community engagement and trust around food and increase equitable access to whole foods.

EatFresh participants receive a 20-pound share of fresh produce, recipe cards and other educational materials with each bi-weekly class, to put their newly learned skills into action at home. The program has been designed to address some of the unique food access barriers that food-insecure households face in Chester County, such as language barriers and social stigma.

In response to COVID-19, these classes transitioned to an entirely virtual format. As restrictions were lifted, Chester County Food Bank initiated a hybrid model with virtual learning paired with in-person opportunities. They are developing a holistic evaluation of their new approach to the EatFresh program to ensure the best use of resources, maximize participation and maintain a strong impact.

Evaluation of the new program model will use both quantitative and qualitative methods to assess whether long-lasting benefits seen with the previous model, such as increased cooking skills, improved dietary intake and stronger social connection, can be maintained. Evaluation will also help determine which aspects of the class are more suited for virtual learning versus in person so that in-person time can be maximized. If the hybrid model proves to be successful, it will open the door to expand community partnerships and increase participation.

Q&A with County Food Bank’s Community Education Manager Sol Noguera and Director of Community Food Access and Education Programs Roberta Cosentino:

What about EatFresh excites you most? 
EatFresh is an incredibly impactful program, and the most exciting aspects of it are the connections that are made through food. Eating is a major part of our lives and sharing food, time and experiences with other community members is remarkably simple yet life-affirming. Through discussions, we learn from each other, discover new traditions and often learn how similar we are. It's truly a moving experience.

What will data collection entail over the next few months?
At the end of March, EatFresh will be post-surveying all EatFresh participants who attended classes from the summer of 2021 to the winter of 2022. Additionally, we will be hosting focus groups with participants who have had the unique experience of taking both our in-person classes and our virtual classes.

How has the Gretchen Swanson Center’s evaluation expertise and technical assistance benefited your organization so far?
The Gretchen Swanson Center has helped us create a more valid and reliable survey for our participants. Not only were we able to develop a better survey, but we have also improved our surveying technique to include both qualitative and quantitative data. As a result, we can learn from our participants more effectively and establish best practices for our unique community.

What are you hoping to learn from the evaluation? How do you plan to use the results?
Learning from our participants and incorporating their experience and knowledge into our program development is key to its success. We look forward to having a more robust and thorough method to collect that information, learning from our successes and challenges and continuing to improve the program. We are also very much looking forward to learning how participants feel about a virtual, in-person or hybrid model. This information will help establish a more sustainable and impactful program where participants can improve their overall wellbeing and create lasting connections through food.

About Chester County Food Bank

As the central hunger relief organization in our county, Chester County Food Bank (CCFB) serves a network of 160+ partners to meet emergency food and nutrition needs while exploring long term solutions to chronic food insecurity. Serving more than 40,000 residents through food distribution and education, health, and wellness programs, we provide diverse distribution outlets and varied forms of food access to maximize outreach in culturally appropriate ways. Since our organization’s inception, we have prioritized fresh, local foods. Our Nutrition Framework was developed with the expertise of a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and provides guidance on our procurement, distribution, and supporting educational components. Our Agriculture Department supports us in providing the freshest food for our programs with the help of an industrious volunteer base on the farm and in the processing kitchen. From seeding to harvesting, our on-staff farmers and volunteers work to provide 100,000 pounds of produce each year. We also support our network of local farms and producers by purchasing additional fruits and vegetables to offer our communities the best in season produce. We are proud that 50% of the food we distribute as a food bank is fresh fruits and vegetables. Our organization supports our nutrition efforts through various educational opportunities and interventions. More information can be found at chestercountyfoodbank.org.

Mission: We mobilize our community to ensure access to real, healthy food.