Aging in Our Community A Message from W. Mark Clark, President and CEO
Nutrition Programs More Important than Ever Two years ago this month, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way PCOA does business and provides services, and our nutrition services were among the first and most critical shifts. One of the first widespread mitigation efforts to keep older adults safe was the closure of Parks and Recreation sit e s and senior centers, which meant the suspension of Community Lunch Programs in Pima County and City of Tucson facilities, as well as Posada Life Community Services in Green Valley. Within a matter of three days of notification of these closures, we worked with the City of Tucson and our community partners Catholic Community Services and the Caridad Kitchen at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona to shift to grab and go meals picked up curbside at select sites. Shortly thereafter, we made the same arrangements with Pima County. These efforts ensured that older adults relying on Community Lunch Programs to meet their nutritional needs would continue to have access to sufficient quality food. We also worked quickly with Catholic Community Services, Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest and Caridad to deliver two weeks’ worth of additional frozen meals to Pima Meals on Wheels recipients to ensure that they had proper nutrition if they had to quarantine or if we could not get to them, and increased our weekly meal delivery from 5 meals to 7. Through the grab and go program and
to achieve food security. Though millions of older adults are enrolled in SNAP, less than half of Americans over 60 who are eligible for SNAP are receiving benefits. If you are an older adult in need of nutrition assistance, or you know someone in need, you can call the Arizona State Hotline at (855) 432-7587 or contact PCOA for assistance in understanding how to access SNAP benefits. The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona also offers Senior Food Boxes for those who qualify. Call (520) 622-0525. The good news is that temporary increases in SNAP benefits during the COVID crisis have been helpful in mitigating a spike in older adult hunger – but the effects of the pandemic on hunger, especially for older women and people of color, are likely to be felt for years to come. PCOA remains dedicated to working alongside community partners to provide meals, advocating for increased funding for nutrition services, helping older adults access benefits to increase their financial and food security. Together, we can help older adults in our community maintain good nutrition and enjoy health and quality of life.
Pima Meals on Wheels, PCOA and our partners served more than 519,000 meals to older adults in our community last year. This month, we also celebrate 50 years of the national Senior Nutrition Program supporting nutrition services for older adults across the country through funding from the Older Americans Act. Though older adult hunger has improved over the decades, each year in the US, up to half of adults aged 65 and older are at risk of malnutrition, and more than 10 million face hunger. Before the pandemic, about 12% of Arizonans over age 60 faced food insecurity, far higher than the national average of 9.5%. Experts agree that number has since risen as many older adults lack access to the high-quality, nutritious food they need to remain healthy and independent. Without proper nutrition, older adults are more likely to develop costly and chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart failure, heart disease, and asthma. They are more likely to suffer from mental and emotional health problems – according to Feeding America, older adults who are food insecure are 262% more likely to be depressed. And with COVID still a real concern in our community, hunger puts vulnerable older adults at an even greater risk of COVID-related health decline. PCOA’s Pima Meals on Wheels and Community Lunch Programs work in tandem with programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest domestic hunger safety net program helping low-income older adults
W. Mark Clark President & CEO
March 2022, Never Too Late | Page 3
Pima Council on Aging
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