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Click here for more information about holding a drive.
Click here to download the Poster.
Click here to download the Flyer .
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, Catholic Family & Community Services , 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.
Passaic County Senior Snapshot
- 61,749 (12.3%) of Passaic County residents are 65 years of age or older.±
- 2 out of 3 Passaic County seniors have incomes below the Elder Index (an income level threshold indicative of a live-alone senior’s ability to live securely and meet basic needs).*
- HFS program participants mostly are women, who live alone, are in fair/poor health and are at risk of poor food intake.
±2011 American Community Survey, Passaic County, NJ. Prepared by the U.S. Census Bureau, 2011.
*2012 NJ Foundation for Aging. Elder Economic Security Index: Addressing Basic Needs, pp 11-12.
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.”
Click here for a program brochure.
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. Learn more about Hunger-Free Communities here. Please contact Project Director Ucheoma Akobundu at (973) 279 8900 and/or via email .
How Can You Help?
Partner with UWPC
Invite your organization to add HFS food bag delivery to existing home-based services for seniors.
Conduct a food drive
Promotional materials and instructions are available on our website.
Sponsor a Passaic County Senior
$20=1 monthly food bag
$60=3 monthly food bags
$120=6 monthly food bags
Send a geeting card to a senior
Instructions are available on our website. Free art supplies are available for school-age children.
Hunger-Free Seniors Program Partners:
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.
Special Thanks to Our 2012 Food Drive Hosts!
Rath and Rath LLP
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