Over the past decade, study after study has shown that thousands of people who live within certain areas of Louisville don't have adequate access to food.

Grocery stores are few and far between in communities like west and south Louisville. And if residents there don't want to do all their shopping at small convenience or discount stores, they often have to spend extra time and money to travel to supermarkets outside their neighborhoods.

TELL US HOW YOU GET FOOD FOR YOUR FAMILY

The gaps in access can deepen financial hardships for already struggling families and can lead to a variety of health disorders that lower life expectancy.

According to the 2017 Louisville Metro Health Equity Report, people living in west Louisville have an average life expectancy of about 70 years — 12 years lower than the average life expectancy for people living in the city's far east end.

Nonprofits have attempted to address the disparity by creating innovative produce markets, community gardens and even a frozen foods pop-up shop, while metro leaders have worked with grocery operators to keep stores in the under-served areas.

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But the gaps persist — and we want to help offer solutions.

The Courier Journal has received support from the University of Southern California's Center for Health Journalism to embark on a project about food insecurity in Louisville, with the goal of presenting solutions that fit our community.

As part of that project, we've launched a survey to learn about individual residents' grocery shopping habits.

Is it hard to for you to get food where you live? What makes it easy or difficult? We want to know.

You can help us make sense of what's going on in our community by answering the questions below at courier-journal.com. We won't publish any information you share without your permission.

Have a question or just want to talk? Email bloosemore@courier-journal.com or call 502-582-4646.