When Jeffrey lost his job due to an injury, he wasn’t sure how he’d make ends meet. After paying his bills, there’s not much left for food. Fortunately, one of the Regional Food Bank’s partners isn’t far away.
“If I didn’t have this, I would starve,” Jeffrey says after gathering a basket full of food. “I’m very thankful. They’ve been extremely helpful, and they have a lot of love.”
Oklahoma ranks among the top 10 states in the nation for food insecurity among seniors. That’s why we have several programs directed to older adults.
One is the Senior Servings Program, which provides healthy, frozen meals prepared in our production kitchen, Hope’s Kitchen, to seniors shopping at food pantries and identified through intake screening for issues with endurance, cognition and physical mobility.
These limitations directly impact senior food insecurity and nutritional status, because tasks like acquiring, preparing, cooking and consuming meals are more difficult.
Here’s what some of them are saying about the Senior Servings Program:
“I appreciate these meals because I recently had shoulder replacement surgery,” says Dolores. “It is a lifesaver to be able to get these meals out of the freezer and easily prepare them. Plus, it is also a big help on my monthly grocery budget.”
“It helps because I have a hard time with preparing meals and my husband can’t cook for himself at all,” says Rebecca.
“I’m not as healthy as I once was,” adds Jenny. “I am really tired. It is really nice to have something that’s easy to fix for a meal in my freezer.”
And Irma says she appreciates the frozen meals “because I can’t open my hand all the time, so I don’t cook as much as I used to.”
Every $1 you give will help feed four neighbors facing hunger, including seniors like these. Thank you!