Senior Food Box Program

(formerly the Brown Bag Program)  

 

THE NEED – A hidden killer stalks the poorest senior Americans: HUNGER.  Many seniors face the choice between purchasing life-giving medicine, paying their electric bill, and securing the food they need to live.  For seniors living in poverty, the end of the month can be a frightening time, because housing and utilities have eaten up most of their Social Security checks and they find themselves staring into empty cupboards.  The median per capita income for seniors enrolled in the Senior Food Box Program is just $8,328 per year.  They have only $694.00 a month to purchase everything necessary.  Many of these seniors are already enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, Formerly Food Stamps), but even with this assistance they face days at the end of each month when they don’t have anything to eat. 

 

THE SOLUTION – For the past twenty years, Golden Harvest Food Bank has met the needs of hungry seniors through our Senior Food Box Program.  The Food Bank has partnered with 32 non-profit organizations and 4 government agencies to identify the seniors most in need and to provide them supplemental food at the end of each month.  Each senior receives 12 monthly food boxes containing 20 pounds of food at the end of each month.  The Senior Food Box Program helps satisfy the basic needs of seniors enrolled in the program, and its success is measured by the seniors enabled to remain in their own homes and the number of seniors who are on the waiting list. 

 

HOW CAN I HELP? - Due to a network of product donors and an army of volunteers who believe in our mission, Golden Harvest is able to multiply money invested in the program and get needed food right into the hands of the seniors who need it most. The past two years have seen a rapid increase in the cost of food and transportation, causing a budget crunch that threatens to drop by nearly a third the number served by the Senior Food Box Program.  Local citizens, businesses and groups are essential to sustaining the Senior Food Box Program.  To learn how you can help by “adopting” one or more of these seniors for only $13 a month – just $156 a year – per senior, call 706.736.1199.

 

Want to see how many senior citizens need your help in your county? GO HERE