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Senior Citizen Politics
One in 9 Senior Citizens Going Hungry Says Report to Senate Aging Committee
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) says 35 million Americans
going hungry, senior citizens are ‘disproportionately affected’
 March 10, 2008 – One out of every nine senior
citizens in America is going hungry, according to testimony last week at
a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, which was called by
the ranking member, Senator Gordon H. Smith (R-OR). Smith said 35
million Americans are going hungry and senior citizens are
“disproportionately affected.”
A major reason for the hearing was to showcase the
release of findings by the Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA)
Foundation, which quantifies the problems and causes of hunger that
seniors face and how these trends will continue into the future as our
society ages.
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“Hunger is a disease that is affecting our country,
but unlike other diseases we have a cure for hunger today. Because of
Senator Smith's leadership on this issue, we now have a national forum
to present these findings,” said Enid Borden, President and CEO of MOWAA.
Key findings included:
●
In 2005, over five million seniors, 11.4% of all seniors, experienced
some form of food insecurity (i.e., are marginally food insecure).
>> Of these, about 2.5 million are at-risk
of hunger (i.e. are food insecure), and about 750,000 actually
experienced hunger (i.e., very low food security) due to financial
constraints.
●
Seniors are more likely to be at-risk of hunger if they are ages 60 to
65, poor, African-American or Hispanic, divorced or separated, living
with a grandchild and/or renters.
●
In 2025, an estimated 9.3 million senior Americans will experience some
form of food insecurity, almost double the number in 2005.
●
In 2025, an estimated 3.7 million senior Americans will be at-risk of
hunger.
●
In 2025, almost one million senior Americans will suffer from hunger.
“Federal programs like the Commodity Supplemental
Food Program and the Elderly Nutrition Program, as well as non-profit
organizations such as Meals on Wheels, make a huge impact by delivering
food directly to seniors in their own homes,” said Committee Chair Herb
Kohl (D-WI), in an opening statement that also thanked Sen. Smith for
chairing the hearing.
“The Food Stamp program is another valuable federal
program, although estimates show that it is under-utilized: only one in
three eligible seniors actually enroll in the food stamp program. In
spite of the fact that these programs and services cover only a fraction
of the low-income seniors who need them, we continue to face a yearly
battle with the administration to provide these programs with adequate
funding,” Kohl added.
Kohl said as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture
Appropriations subcommittee, he is working to increase federal funding
for older Americans through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program,
which provides “a modest box of grocery staples” every month to 440,000
low-income elderly Americans.
Sen. Smith, the committee’s Ranking Member, is also
co-chair of the Senate Hunger Caucus.
Smith reported he is working with Sen. Blanche
Lincoln (D-AR) to ensure that seniors have better access to the
nutrition programs in the Older Americans Act.
The two senators also are working with
Appropriators to raise funding levels for the congregate and
home-delivered meals programs as well as programs that help seniors
remain in their home as they age.
Senators Smith and Lincoln reported they were
successful in seeing a small increase in funding for these programs last
year, but, after many years of stagnant funding, they hope to bring
funding levels on par with need.
“In my home state of Oregon, more than one in 10
people experience difficulty in purchasing food each year,” Smith said.
“Unfortunately, seniors are disproportionately
affected due to their increased vulnerability and lack of connection to
their communities. We need to do more to ensure our most vulnerable
citizens are lifted from the threat of hunger and are able to thrive as
healthy individuals.”
The hearing, “Seniors Going Hungry in America: A
Call to Action and Warning for the Future,” was held last Wednesday in
Washington.
Below are those who testified at the hearing with
links to their testimony.
●
Edwin Walker , Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Programs,
Administration on Aging, Washington, DC
(Click
here to view statement - PDF)
●
Kate Houston , Deputy Under Secretary, Food Nutrition and Consumer
Services, US Department of Agriculture, Washngton, DC
(Click
here to view statement - PDF)
●
Marcus Lampros , President, Lampros Steel, Inc., Portland, OR
(Click
here to view statement - PDF)
●
James Ziliak , Director, Center for Poverty Research, Department of
Economics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
(Click
here to view statement - PDF)
●
James Weill , President, Food Research and Action Center, Washington, DC
(Click
here to view statement - PDF)
●
Robert Blancato , Executive Director, National Association of Nutrition
and Aging Services Program, Washington, DC
(Click
here to view statement - PDF)
●
Jan Jones , Senior Vice President, Communications and Government
Relations, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., Las Vegas, NV
(Click
here to view statement - PDF)
Webcast:
Click here to
view hearing (Read Video - click
for free download)
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