Advance letter to management company for gated community-nonrespondents

Nancy Cole

Project Director

955 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 801

Cambridge, MA 02139

Telephone (617) 491-7900

Fax (617) 491-8044

www.mathematica-mpr.com

[NAME]

[Address line 1]

[Address line 2]

[City, State Zip] [DATE]

Dear [Name/To whom it may concern]:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the authority of 7 U.S.C. 2026 (a)(1) is conducting a new survey called the National Food Study. The USDA has contracted Mathematica Policy Research to design and conduct this voluntary study. Households all across America will tell us important facts about the food they obtain to feed their families. The National Food Study will answer some basic questions about U.S. households:

• How much do households spend on food?

• How much food acquired by households comes from supermarkets? Restaurants? School cafeterias?

• How does access to food and retailer choice affect dietary quality?

This information will help USDA improve programs and will help assure that all residents of the United States have access to a healthy diet at affordable prices.

From mid-April through October 2012 we will have several professional interviewers in your county. They will visit randomly selected addresses and interview households to determine their eligibility for the study. We expect to interview about 400 households during this time period, and invite about 100 eligible households in your area to participate in the study. Some addresses in your [community/building] have been selected for this study. Households at these addresses represent a portion of the population, and their participation is very important. If they chose to participate, they will be asked to complete interviews and record information about the foods they obtain during a one-week period.

We need your help to access your [community/building] so we can contact residents of selected addresses in person to determine their eligibility and to answer any of their questions about the study. [Name] is the Field Manager overseeing our data collection in your area. [He/she] will be following up with you to determine the best way to coordinate our efforts. You can contact [Name] at [FM phone].

To learn more about the study, see the enclosed brochure, visit our website at www.usdafoodstudy.org, or call our toll-free number at 866-275-8659.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation and support of the National Food Study!

Sincerely,

Dr. Nancy Cole, Project Director, National Food Study

An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer