SPOTLIGHT ON: 

SNAP Incentive Cluster Evaluation

Helping With Smarter Choices -- And Healthier Eating!

So, what's the best way to get people to buy - and eat more fresh food? The Community Science team, led by Project Director Ricardo Millett, is working to find out by conducting a cluster evaluation of four healthy food incentive programs that provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients with incentives to shop at farmers' markets. Formerly known as the federal Food Stamp Program, SNAP focuses on nutrition as much as benefits.

These food incentive programs - operated by Fair Food Network, Wholesome Wave, Market Umbrella, and Roots of Change - match SNAP recipients' benefits at varying rates which ultimately enables recipients to purchase more fruit and vegetables than they would otherwise be able to afford.

"The cluster evaluation is a critical piece of being able to take a project that we are able to demonstrate is succeeding at the community level, and provide evidence to policy makers," said Oran B. Hesterman, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Fair Food Network. "Then we can bring this community practice into play in the public policy arena."

However, culling data from such different programs is a challenge. "Since these programs each have their own unique characteristics and goals," Dr. Hesterman continued, "it creates a complexity that requires a more sophisticated cluster analysis - that's why we turned to Community Science."

The objective of Community Science's cluster evaluation technique is to collect data from the markets, and surveys of market customers and vendors, to assess the extent to which the incentives are:

1. Encouraging SNAP recipients to purchase and consume healthier foods
2. Successfully being implemented at farmers' markets according to market managers and vendors
3. Providing benefits to farmers and the communities in which they operate

"[This project] requires a more sophisticated cluster analysis - that's why we turned to Community Science."

Support for the evaluation has been provided by the Kresge Foundation, Aetna Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

MEET COMMUNITY SCIENCE:

Senior Associate Chris Botsko

As the Deputy Project Director on the SNAP Incentive Cluster Evaluation, Chris Botsko manages the day-to-day activities of this impactful and exciting project.

Chris has over 15 years' experience supporting and evaluating systems and community change efforts. He has provided support to government agencies, nonprofits, community coalitions, and other entities as they seek to improve systems and supports covering a wide variety of groups including families with children, adolescents, women, rural residents, and veterans and their families. One of Chris' longest running roles was serving as Project Director for technical assistance and later for the evaluation of the State Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Initiative (ECCS) which provided support to cross-agency, cross-organizational efforts to improve systems covering health, mental health, child care, family support, and parenting education in 49 States and five jurisdictions.

In his free time, Chris enjoys cooking, eating, and playing ultimate frisbee.

Learn more

Not Bad For A Teenager!

Community Science celebrates 15 years of passion combined with knowledge 

2012 marks Community Science's 15th anniversary, a long way from its humble beginnings as the dream of David Chavis and Kien Lee. Since its founding in 1997 (in David's basement!), Community Science has measured its growth and success not in increased staff or earnings, but by the impact it has had on the organizations and communities it serves.

"Our agenda was bigger than simply consulting from the beginning," David said. "We wanted to deliver high-quality work and to inform social change with the same rigor, integrity, and expectation of excellence as in medical fields and other valued areas of research."

Combining common sense, practical methods, and solid research principles, Community Science quickly gained a reputation as a smart, no-nonsense organization of community change agents, focused on issues like equity, race and inclusion. "We're a small organization with a big impact - and a big attitude," David continued. "We can be pushy, and we challenge our clients and partners - but the results speak for themselves."

Community Science has taken on nearly 300 professional service contracts of every size in its first 15 years, many of which are ongoing clients and partners. "In 2002, we were recognized by the American Evaluation Association for the outstanding evaluation of the year - but the best part is that it was on a small project," David said.

As the organization looks forward, David also noted that the same combination of passion and knowledge that gained Community Science such a strong reputation will carry it into the future. "People deserve the best, and that's what we'll continue to strive towards," David said. "It's never been enough for us to just get it done - we work to use knowledge and rigorous methods to influence social change - and do it better, and smarter, than anyone else."

Presentations by David Chavis, Community Science Principal Associate & CEO:

March/April 2012:

"Community Building," Leadership Montgomery, Maryland (March 7, 2012)

Keynote Speaker, "Exploring Capacity Building for Community Change," The Community Change Network Workshop, July 22, 2012, Cincinnati, OH:  David will deliver the keynote address at this critical think tank discussion around community change, including how to measure and grow community capacity for change. Part of the larger Annual International Community Development Society Conference. Click here for more information.  

What We're Reading:

NEW CLIENTS:  

Growing The Good With Wholesome Wave and Fair Food Network 

Wholesome Wave's mission (www.wholesomewave.org) is to improve access and affordability of fresh, healthy, locally-grown produce to historically underserved communities.

 

The Fair Food Network (www.fairfoodnetwork.org) is dedicated to upholding the fundamental right to healthy, fresh, and sustainably grown food through:

• Improving healthy food access
• Informing public policy
• Strengthening funding strategies
• Expanding networks and sharing knowledge

Welcome, New Hires!

Community Science is proud to welcome the following new staff since our last issue:

• Chris Botsko
• Scott Hebert
• Amber Golden
• Susanna Shapiro
• Roan Bennett

Each will be featured in future editions of the newsletter!

Join Us!

If you are a motivated, conscientious professional who can help us take the practice of social change through science and capacity building to a higher level, we want to hear from you.