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Click here for more information about holding a drive.
Hunger-Free Seniors
United Way’s Hunger-Free Seniors project partners with Home Care
Options , Passaic County Department of Senior Services, Disability and Veteran Affairs and New Bridge Services, Inc. to serve low-income seniors who have health issues and are
living alone. The project will screen each participant’s health and
nutrition, deliver a bag of non-perishable groceries each month and
determine food stamp eligibility and help with enrollment.
Food insecurity and hunger among seniors is expected to increase for the next 15 years.
WHY? While food costs are going up, many seniors are typically living on
a fixed income, with limited mobility and have unique -sometimes
expensive- dietary needs. Financial and physical limitations make it
especially difficult for seniors to purchase enough food and nutritious
food.
“We know that certain groups, including seniors, people with
disabilities, and residents of low-income communities, are at great risk
for missing meals, not being able to afford food and going hungry,”
says Yvonne Zuidema, President of United Way of Passaic County. “This
project provides an opportunity for us to dive into the issue of hunger
and address the unique concerns of a specific group of people.”
Get Involved!
Businesses, community groups, schools and individuals are
invited to sponsor a senior, hold a food drive and/or volunteer to
support the program. Learn more about Hunger-Free Communities and the
Hunger-Free Seniors project. Please visit
www.unitedwaypassaic.org/hungerfree or contact Jackie Park Albaum (973)
279-8900 Ext. 202 or jackie@unitedaypassaic.org .
Hunger-Free Seniors is part of a larger United Way of Passaic County
effort to address hunger in the county. In February 2011 United Way of
Passaic County was awarded a prestigious USDA Hunger-Free Communities
grant. The $100,000 award will be used to study the causes of hunger in
Passaic County and to develop a plan to achieve a hunger free community.
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