Senior Hunger Action Team
Our goal is to ensure that all seniors have access to nutritious food.
Working to Find Hunger Solutions
Senior hunger is a growing problem across the country and here in Dallas. Too many seniors who are eligible for SNAP are not receiving benefits that could help them purchase food.
There are programs available to help seniors that are not being fully utilized. The Senior Hunger Action Team is working to make these programs and resources available to seniors in Texas.
Co-Chairs
Mark Edwards, Dallas County Older Adult Services Program
Erica Sampson, The Senior Source
Helping Texas Seniors to Access Better Nutrition
The Senior Hunger Action Team is focusing on two important programs to address senior hunger.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Only one-third of seniors eligible for SNAP benefits (food stamps) are receiving those benefits. The Action Team’s Senior SNAP Access Task Force is working to ensure that seniors receive all the SNAP benefits for which they are eligible. The Task Force created Eating Well is a SNAP!, a fun and interactive presentation for seniors designed to assist them in eating well on a limited budget, with a focus on how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other community nutrition resources can help them supplement their grocery budget. At each presentation, navigators are available to assist seniors in filling out a SNAP application on the spot.
If you work with a group of seniors and are interested in hosting an Eating Well is a SNAP! presentation, or if you would like to become a member of the volunteer Eating Well is a SNAP! speaker’s bureau, contact Wyonella Henderson-Greene at wyonella_henderson-greene@baylor.edu. For more information, download the free EWS Brochure below.
Senior Hunger Community Assessment
The Senior Hunger Action Team conducted a survey and focus groups in the fall of 2018 to better understand the challenges seniors in Dallas face in accessing healthy food. The responses from over 1600 seniors are informing efforts to craft additional effective strategies to reduce senior hunger. You can read the report here: 2018 Senior Hunger Community Assessment Report
One such effort is the development and distribution of the Utility Resource Guide for Seniors, so seniors on limited incomes don’t have to choose between paying for energy costs and food.
You can view the Action Team’s previous Senior Hunger Comprehensive Report.
For a tool to help increase awareness and engage more allies on this issue, click here: Senior Hunger Action Team One-Pager.
For more information about this team, contact Wyonella Henderson-Greene at wyonella_henderson-greene@baylor.edu.
Representatives of Parkland Hospital’s Geriatrics Program speak to members of the Senior Hunger Action Team on the intersection of food security and health for older adults.