As people age, nutrition becomes especially important, but it can also be more difficult to get to the grocery store, and often there are issues with preparing food. The fact is that 9% of seniors in North Carolina face the threat of hunger. To address the specific needs of senior nutrition, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has established programs tailored to meet the unique challenges faced by older adults as they deal with the not-so-simple task of getting their daily meals.
Grocery Bags for Seniors are just what they sound like: bags packed full of fresh produce and healthy shelf-stable foods from every food group, delivered directly to senior adults. These bags are packed by teams of dedicated volunteers at the Food Shuttle’s main warehouse and are delivered door-to-door, pre-arranged, to low-income senior living communities once a month. The menu is different every month, planned by our Registered Dietitian, Kylee McCombs, and the bags include two recipes to help seniors use that month’s ingredients – like a recipe for salmon meatballs when the bags include canned salmon. The Food Shuttle Community Health Education program also provides a health insert each month in English and Spanish with advice on topics on everything from how to wash produce to how to stay warm during winter. Last month, over 1,400 grocery bags were packed and delivered to appreciative seniors.
Seniors Living Well provides nutrition and cooking education, and a way for seniors to socialize and be less isolated as they attend classes in a group setting. The Food Shuttle Community Health Education program uses a curriculum from Penn State University, Seniors Eating Well, that is tailored specifically to seniors and offers a variety of topics from which to choose. Our community partners who know the seniors in their community and are more familiar with their needs choose the topics to be covered each session. The most popular topics are “Healthy Meals for 1 or 2” and “Cooking with Herbs and Seasonings.” The classes get participants excited about cooking and inspire them to try new foods. They also leave with snacks, an ingredient from the recipe they learned, and a $10 Food Lion gift card.
"From a public health perspective, we have an obligation to help seniors and older adults access healthy foods that we know will help them continue to thrive as they get older. The goal of our programs is not only to increase access to foods, but also to provide exposure to new foods, and excitement around eating healthy,” explains Kylee McCombs, the Food Shuttle’s Director of Community Health and Nutrition. “The combination of Grocery Bags for Seniors and Seniors Living Well allows us to not only bring seniors together for a fun, engaging, and thoughtful workshop but also play a role in the fight against hunger right here in our community".