Supply Gap: Relative Unmet Need for Emergency Food by NTA

Prior to COVID-19, the Mayor's Office of Food Policy (MOFP) partnered with emergency food providers to develop the “Supply Gap,” a robust metric that tracks neighborhood-by-neighborhood levels of unmet food need, alongside the various supplies of food going into each neighborhood. When the pandemic hit, MOFP enhanced the Supply Gap metric to meet the moment, by adding new COVID-specific supplies of food and layering in data on critical nuances, such as real-time neighborhood-level unemployment rates and the presence of undocumented populations that were ineligible for or afraid to access public aid. The City uses this data to inform policymakers and food distributors about where additional food is most needed, how much is needed, and how targeted deliveries could help to close the gap.

Each neighborhood receives a weighted score, on a scale of 1-10, based on its gap between projected need and supply of emergency food, as well as indicators to address vulnerable populations, equity, and other need consideration. The closer the score is to 10, the higher the level of unmet. On the Supply Gap map, dark shading indicates higher level of need.

This analysis is intended to serve as a snapshot of projected need by neighborhood, which is changing constantly due to various program timelines. The data should be considered alongside other data and local neighborhood context. Note that even neighborhoods with lower relative need still have pockets of need.