SENIOR PROGRAMS

According to Feeding America’s State of Senior Hunger the food insecurity rate among seniors in Texas is 9.6%, almost 1 in 10. Seniors affected vary by age, gender, income, race/ethnicity, employment/disabilities, location, marital status, and the presence of a grandchild in the household.

We also know that low-income seniors on fixed incomes must sometimes make impossible choices between important necessities, such as medicine, utility bills or transportation costs. Because food-insecure seniors are not always able to obtain the nutrient-rich food that they need to keep themselves healthy and enable their medications to work effectively, we know that many face significant health challenges. Food insecure seniors are more likely to experience negative health conditions such as depression, asthma, heart attack, and congestive heart failure.

More and more “baby boomers” are turning 65. Many are retiring with less money than they expected to save, due to reasons such as the recession, unforeseen expenses, and the increased cost of living in West Texas. Many are caring for grandchildren or other family members. A great many are happily living longer than they expected, but finding the costs of aging to be insurmountable.

SENIOR BOX PROGRAM – COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM (CSFP)

The West Texas Food Bank’s Senior Box program aims to help those in need. 2,000 boxes of supplemental food will be distributed each month to clients across all the 19 counties we serve. Although the cost of the food is reimbursed by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), the Food Bank must absorb expenses related to the actual boxes in which the food is distributed to clients, as well as, fuel and personnel costs.

For more information about receiving a CSFP Senior Box, click here.