Wolf Administration Participates in Roundtable on Combatting Senior Hunger

​Harrisburg, PA – Today, Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Teresa Osborne participated in the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s Senior Hunger Roundtable. Stakeholders, legislators, health care professionals, and seniors discussed the resources available to combat hunger in older adults, and ways to increase access to healthful, nutritious foods.

“The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s capacity to provide food to those at risk of hunger through a robust array of partner agencies mirrors the Wolf Administration’s commitment to help develop and enhance private-public partnerships so all Pennsylvanians have access to healthful, nutritious food in order to live healthy and age well,” said Secretary Osborne. “Today’s roundtable highlighted the fact that in order to​ combat senior hunger, it is imperative that we better coordinate our efforts and more effecti​vely connect older Pennsylvanians with available nutrition services and resources in their communities.”

The National Foundation to End Senior Hunger reports seniors who are food insecure have diets that are less nutritious, endure worse health outcomes, and experience a higher risk for depression. Research has shown that when seniors participate in programs that address food insecurity, they become more independent because of improved nutrition status and overall health.

In September 2016, Setting the Table: Blueprint for a Hunger-Free PA was developed to address hunger in PA and respond to Governor Wolf’s executive orderestablishing the Governor’s Food Security Partnership. The Partnership includes the departments of Aging, Agriculture, Community and Economic Development, Education, Health, and Human Services. The blueprint was developed in collaboration with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and other public, charitable, and private leaders in food security.

“Hunger harms everyone that it touches, but it is particularly hard on older Pennsylvanians who often face their struggles quietly and out of view,” said Joe Arthur, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. “We just want our older neighbors to know that we care about them and we are here to help, and so are our friends in the Governor’s Partnership.”

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to reduce hunger in 27 counties across Pennsylvania. By working with more than 1,000 local agencies, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank serves 150,000 individuals every month.

For more information on the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and its mission to reduce hunger in Pennsylvania, visit www.centralpafoodbank.org.