Food Assistance Options

If you are a caregiver for a loved one who does not have enough money to make sure they have enough food, there is help, this post offers some startling facts about food insecurity among our elder population, but also offer guidance on some assistance programs.

THE ARTICLE IS A DIRECT CUT & PASTE FROM AN E-NEWSLETTER WE RECEIVED FROM:

National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs
www.nanasp.org

THE ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY: Alexandra Ashbrook, Director, Special Projects & Initiatives, Food Research & Action Center

Focusing on Food and Hardship During Older Americans Month

By: Alexandra Ashbrook
Director, Special Projects & Initiatives, Food Research & Action Center

This year’s Older Americans Month focuses on Communities of Strength. One critical need is to focus on the unprecedented rates of food hardship among older adults, which have been fueled by the COVID-19 health and economic crisis.

Some 2 million older adults age 65 plus have reported their household sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat in the last seven days (Household Pulse Survey data collected March 17-29, 2021). Food insecurity has serious consequences for the health and well-being of older adults and can lead to malnutrition. The attendant harms of food insecurity as well as diet-related chronic disease have propelled the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to adopt a range of actions to strengthen and improve the reach of the federal nutrition programs during COVID-19.

These programs– especially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)– are ready solutions to address hunger among older adults during COVID-19 and beyond. SNAP can reach any eligible older adult with a benefit that is 100 percent federally funded. Take the time during Older Americans Month to spread the word about the importance of SNAP and other nutrition programs. These programs support the food and nutritional needs of older adults who are low-income to improve their nutrition, health, and well-being.

For more on addressing hunger, sign up for the FRAC Action Network.

Additionally, BayPath Elder Services Home Delivered Meals program (Meals on Wheels) is actively taking new referrals for homebound individuals 60 years old or older. Call our main number 508-573-7200.

For a list of Community Dining Sites located in MetroWest Massachusetts, CLICK HERE. (Note: please contact these locations BEFORE visiting, to confirm their current hours of operation.)

For more information on BayPath’s Nutrition programs and the Meals on Wheels service, you can download our brochure by CLICKING HERE.