FeedMore WNY aims to increase SNAP participation among older adults

Nonprofit pilots SNAP enrollment program thanks to National Council on Aging grant

Posted: June 3, 2021

FeedMore WNY is expanding its efforts to assist older adults in applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – formerly known as food stamps. The hunger-relief nonprofit is one of 40 organizations throughout the country to receive a $50,000 grant from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to enhance access to SNAP for qualifying low-income older adults through community-based outreach and enrollment initiatives.

FeedMore WNY uses NCOA’s free online BenefitsCheckUp® tool at www.BenefitsCheckUp.org to screen older adults with limited income for SNAP eligibility. The initiative aims to help at least 40,000 older adults nationwide enroll in SNAP.

“We’ve heard from older adults and our local partners that accessing and paying for food is a critical need right now,” Josh Hodges, NCOA chief customer officer, said. “Food, on average, is the second highest household expenditure for people aged 60+, and too often they have to stretch their food budget in order to make ends meet. That’s where SNAP can help.”

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 9.8 million older adults in the U.S. experienced food insecurity, meaning they lacked consistent access to adequate, nutritious food. Today, those numbers are quickly rising. SNAP is the nation’s most effective and widest-reaching anti-hunger program. Research by Center for Budget and Policy Priorities shows that participation in SNAP reduces food insecurity overall by 30 percent, yet the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that only 48 percent of eligible older adults ages 60 and older participate in the program.

“We are proud to be part of a SNAP enrollment initiative that has the potential to help tens of thousands of low-income older adults improve their health and financial security,” Lauren Merriman, FeedMore WNY SNAP outreach coordinator, said. “FeedMore WNY has a strong history of helping aging community members in need. In fact, 31,500 older adults relied on our organization for nutritious food last year. We are confident that increasing SNAP enrollment with BenefitsCheckUp® and other proven outreach methods will have a profound effect on older adults in Western New York.”

FeedMore WNY has been performing outreach through its Mobile Food Pantry distributions, member food pantries and home-delivered meal sites, as well as partnering with older adult independent living complexes, COVID-19 vaccination clinics, grocery stores and other entities to reach qualifying older adults. To learn more about FeedMore WNY’s SNAP enrollment initiative and to see if you may qualify, please contact Lauren Merriman at (716) 822-2005 ext. 3052 or lmerriman@feedmorewny.org.