LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas once had the highest rate of senior hunger in the country, but a new study says that is changing.
The rate of Arkansans age 60 and older who report they don't always have enough food has fallen from 25 percent to less than 20 percent. A coalition began working on the issue in 2014, from the state Department of Human Services to six Feeding America food banks and the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance.
Nancy Conley, the alliance's communications director, said they focused on getting people signed up for food-assistance programs such as SNAP, also known as food stamps.
"We developed a department for SNAP outreach, and we have volunteers that go to those places where seniors frequent and help them understand that signing up for SNAP could make the difference," she said. "And, it apparently has worked."
A study of senior hunger in America that was released this month found that nationally, almost 10 million people age 60 and older face the threat on hunger on a regular basis - a number that has increased more than a third since 2001. The study said members of minority groups in southern states are most at risk.
Conley said her group's volunteers have found that seniors often aren't sure whether they're eligible for food assistance.
"Many seniors are too proud to apply for food assistance. Many of them think that they don't qualify," she said. "They don't understand that they can have a house, they can have a car and they can still qualify. They all assume that they are too well off."
She said older Arkansans who still are working, often at menial jobs, are vulnerable until they become eligible for retirement-related benefits.
"The seniors who are most at risk are those who are 50 to 69," she said. "They are younger seniors who don't qualify yet for Medicare or housing assistance, or utility assistance."
Conley added that caring for grandchildren becomes a major factor for some.
"We have found that probably half of the seniors in Arkansas who are receiving SNAP benefits are raising grandchildren," she said. "So, that does put a lot of stress on incomes that just don't have anywhere to go."
Conley said poverty is the main driver of food insecurity in Arkansas, particularly among seniors. She said she believes lawmakers need to expand, rather than continually cut, benefit programs and require employers to pay a living wage.
The report is online at arhungeralliance.org.
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Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online tool could help more school districts participate.
The effort is a key component of the Healthy School Meals for All initiative approved by voters in 2022.
Taylor Frederick - culinary programs manager with Nourish Colorado - said over the past couple of years, school meal operators have identified best practices that can be adopted by other school districts, including how to work with local farms and ranches.
"How you can find your local producer," said Frederick, "and even how to put out specific bids for specific local items, and how to work these sorts of things into your menus."
The new Colorado Local Food Program Guidebook, available online at 'guidebook.nourishcolorado.org,' offers tips and tools for launching and sustaining farm-to-school programs.
The guide also offers ways for parents and community members to engage with their local school district, to encourage them to opt into the voluntary program or make menu recommendations.
Frederick explained that the guide begins with a short quiz that helps direct users to the right resources.
For example, food producers who want to sell their produce to reliable kiddo customers can learn how school district cafeterias operate and purchase food.
"To better understand the school market channels," said Frederick, "the bid process, the price points that school districts are working with, their timing, and a little bit about their menus and products that they are looking for."
He said school meal operators can also get tips on how to transition from serving canned and processed foods to preparing meals with fresh ingredients through a series of training videos.
"Some different types of kitchen equipment that might be in the schools, we have training videos on those," said Frederick. "Some vegetable cookery techniques. Those were the big things that school districts and school meal authorities were really saying that they wanted."
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During National Nutrition Month, groups like Virginia Fresh Match are providing people with healthy fresh food options.
Since 2009, the coalition of farmer's markets and mobile food stores has been helping people on SNAP or EBT get access to healthier foods. Some groups have found almost 24% of the benefits are used for healthy foods, while more often they are spent on sugary snacks, premade foods, and meats.
Elizabeth Borst, director of advocacy for Virginia Fresh Match, said everyone should have the opportunity to access healthy foods.
"Just making sure that people both have access to high-quality food and that quality food is affordable to them," Borst explained. "Fresh fruits and vegetables can often be the last thing that people will choose when they are on a really limited budget, so we want to make sure that is accessible to people."
The Consumer Price Index showed food prices drastically increased between 2022 and 2023, but prices have slightly declined in 2024.
Food insecurity has been a long-standing issue for Virginians. Hunger Free America's 2023 Annual Hunger Survey found almost 774,000 people in Virginia are food insecure. Borst emphasized her group is focusing on its "food is medicine" work to ensure no one goes hungry.
While Virginia Fresh Match has been able to accomplish a lot during its multiyear history, there have been some challenges. Borst observed one long-term challenge has been funding sustainability. Like the rest of the world, the pandemic presented a significant hurdle for them, though it created some interesting changes.
"We just had a huge bump in our redemptions and usage of the program," Borst stressed. "That really didn't taper off even though there's been a 40% decrease in SNAP benefit allotments once the pandemic emergency benefits ended."
Emergency allotments provided all SNAP recipients with an additional $95 per month, affecting 470,000 families across the state.
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To reach more hungry families, one Texas nonprofit is setting up mini food markets in schools.
The Tarrant Area Food Bank in North Texas provides 60 million meals a year to families in 13 counties.
It's taking the food directly to school campuses in some lower-income neighborhoods, with what it calls "Ready-to-Learn-in-School Markets."
Food Bank President and CEO Julie Butner said the markets have changed the way they're helping the community.
"And the markets are very much like a retail experience," said Butner, "where the kiddos or the parents can go in and do shopping and get the foods that they want, that they know their families will enjoy."
The area served by the food bank has food insecurity rates that range from just over 10% in Denton County, to more than 17% in Hamilton County.
Butner said more food banks across the country are partnering with school districts to operate on school campuses. She said they hope to have 100 in-school markets by the end of the year.
The markets are established in areas that are deemed food deserts, meaning there isn't a grocery store within a one mile radius of the school - and at least half of the students qualify for free breakfast or lunch.
In addition to addressing the need for food, Butner said the markets also teach valuable skills to students.
"They're helping stock the shelves, helping family members select products, checking family members in that are receiving products," said Butner, "because you do need to qualify in order to enter the market."
According to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture data, the number of households experiencing food insecurity rose from almost 34 million in 2021 to more than 44 million in 2022.
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