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May is Older Americans Month and we join Feeding America and our network of 1,500 partner agencies and programs in bringing to light senior hunger. Nearly half of older adults in the U.S. will encounter at least one year of poverty or near poverty between the ages of 60 and 90. Additionally, changing demographics will have a profound impact on the need for nutrition assistance among older adults. The population age 65 and over increased by 24 percent from 2002 (35.5 million) to 2012 (43.1 million). By 2040, there will be about 80 million seniors – more than double the number in 2002.
Inconsistent access to food among seniors is especially troublesome because they have unique nutritional needs and may require special diets for medical conditions. Because seniors may also have limited mobility, strategies to protect them from food insecurity and hunger can be more complex than for the general population. With the number of older adults projected to increase by 35 percent over the next decade, nutrition programs targeted at seniors will be critical to safeguarding the health of this vulnerable population.
One federal nutrition program helping to address senior hunger is the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). CSFP serves individuals age 60 and over with incomes of less than 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Guideline ($15,301 annual income from a senior living alone in 2015). In Oklahoma, CSFP provided the equivalent of more than one million meals in 2014. This commodity-based program, provides nutritionally-balanced food packages to nearly 3,000 Oklahoma seniors each month. All of which are distributed through the two Oklahoma food banks and our partner programs.
Recently, the food banks hosted a reception honoring Congressman Frank Lucas for his work protecting the CSFP program as well as other nutrition programs. Congressman Lucas served as Chair of the House Agriculture Committee during writing and passage of the most recent Farm Bill – the legislation which authorizes CSFP and many other nutrition programs. To learn more about these programs and Congressman Lucas’ work, watch this video.
Best wishes,
Whitney Danker
Advocacy and Public Policy Director
The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
The Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma
405-600-3129
wdanker@regionalfoodbank.org
www.regionalfoodbank.org
www.okfoodbank.org
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