NIU geography department partners
with Northern Illinois Food Bank

by Tom Parisi

To erase hunger from the map, the Northern Illinois Food Bank first needed, well, a map.

So when the food bank set out recently to identify population pockets of greatest hunger need, it turned to Northern Illinois University mapping experts for help. Cartographer Lenny Walther and research scientist Phil Young, both faculty in NIU's Department of Geography, volunteered to create a map illustrating varying hunger needs by township in the northern Illinois region.

The completed map allows food bank planners to identify quickly the proximity of pantries and distribution sites to needy areas.

"We sometimes fail to recognize the value of resources that are so close to us and willing to help," said H. Dennis Smith, Northern Illinois Food Bank executive director. "I'm glad we asked for help and NIU responded because together we will make a difference in helping the hungry."

Northern Illinois Food Bank, based in St. Charles, serves a 12-county region.

Smith said the food bank wanted to be able to visualize quickly the location and concentration of populations living at or near the poverty level. The U.S. Census Bureau makes that data available. The government puts the poverty level for a family of four at $18,200, Smith said. But given cost-of-living expenses in the region, the food bank considers those at risk of being hungry to be at or below 150 percent of the poverty level, or $27,300 for a family of four.

The map illustrates that even wealthy areas such as DuPage County can have significant at-risk populations. DuPage has more than 16,000 families at or near the poverty level, Smith said. That compares to 1,000 families in DeKalb County.

"The mapping ultimately will help us create a better-rounded network of assistance to hungry people," Smith said. "It will help us determine where we need more distribution centers or food pantries. Our goal is to have food within an easy reach of anyone who might be in need."

The university first aided Northern Illinois Food Bank more than a year ago when the geography department created a map identifying the location of food pantries served by the Food Bank. The partnership expanded when Food Bank VISTA Volunteer Kathy Taylor of Sycamore sought help in illustrating the Census Poverty Data on a map of the region.

"Our primary job is educating students, but the university also is quite committed to outreach," said NIU's Walther, adding that an upper-level geography student is beginning a new project for the food bank.

"Sometimes we can incorporate work for non-profit organizations into student research," Walther said. For example, geography students and faculty created detailed maps using geographic information systems for the Carroll County tax assessor. Students also have created maps or prototypes for events in the region.

"Working with the food bank presents a great opportunity for students," Walther added. "It provides them with real-world experiences."

2-24-2003