Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Grocery Bags for Seniors program serves low-income seniors with quality, nutritious food to help alleviate food insecurity and the risk of malnutrition. In addition to monthly deliveries of non-perishable food and fresh produce, recipients receive recipe cards, food storage and usage tips, and various forms of nutrition education. The Grocery Bags for Seniors program serves approximately 2,000 seniors each month across 29 sites in Wake County. In 2019, the Food Shuttle was selected as a Rooted in Evidence grantee by the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition. This program funds eligible food banks working to support innovative and dynamic programming to improve the health and dietary quality of emergency food recipients. Grantees were awarded $20,000 and received technical assistance and evaluation support.
The Food Shuttle surveyed 190 participants at eight drop-in events and two focus groups to determine if the Grocery Bags for Seniors Program is having the desired impact on health and diet. In addition, site property managers and grocery bag delivery volunteers were surveyed to assess accuracy and reliability of delivery. Survey questions addressed food security, dietary patterns, psychosocial perceptions, and cooking behaviors using food insecurity, hunger coping, perceived healthy status and loneliness scales.
The average age of those surveyed was 72, 88% of whom had incomes of $20,000 or below. Ninety-six percent of participants responded that they were single, not living with a partner, or widowed. And 86% of respondents participate in at least one other assistance program (67% Medicaid and 42% SNAP).
In answer to the question of Food Insecurity among the surveyed seniors, 43% said they were food insecure. Respondents reported a moderate amount of loneliness, and 44.6% believe the grocery bag drop off provides an opportunity to talk to someone.
As to the food included in Grocery Bags for Seniors, 71% like the variety of food, 80% believe the food is of good quality, and 67% believe their diet is more nutritious with the grocery bag. Those surveyed appreciate needing to go to the store less often, find the grocery bags dependable and like that they help them save money on groceries. They also responded that they enjoy mixing up their diet with food they don’t normally buy. Finally, 82% agreed the food they receive does not go to waste. They enjoy the ability to make new recipes that included food they tried for the first time (such as brown rice and quinoa), and 84% said they cook homemade meals from scratch at least 50% of the time.