Senior Hunger

In August 2021, Feeding America released The State of Senior Hunger in America 2019. 2021 marks the fifth consecutive year that Feeding America produced The State of Senior Hunger report series.

Here are some startling findings:

Food insecure seniors consumed lower quantities of key nutrients. For example, food insecure seniors had intake levels of iron (13.3%), calcium (9.7%), and protein (9.2%) that were lower than food secure seniors.

For a wide array of health outcomes, food insecure seniors were worse-off than food secure seniors. Food insecure seniors were more likely to have depression (262%), asthma (78%), diabetes (74%), and congestive heart failure (71%).

Other facts about senior hunger in America:

In 2019, 5.2 million seniors aged 60+ faced hunger. That's 1 in 14 seniors or 7.1% of all seniors.
63% of seniors visiting food banks say they have to choose between food and medical care.
Hunger takes a severe toll on seniors' health and nutrition - putting them at risk for chronic health conditions like depression, asthma, and diabetes.
Millions of seniors qualify for monthly grocery assistance through SNAP, but only 42% receive SNAP benefits.
Some seniors are more likely to face hunger, including seniors who identify as Black or Latino, seniors who live in rural areas, seniors with disabilities, and seniors who are renters.
The FRFB seeks to mitigate the impact of hunger on seniors in our community through our senior feeding program. If you are interested in delivering food to seniors, please sign up on our volunteer portal.

(Source www.feedingamerica.org)