Since 2016, the Greater Chicago Food Depository—Chicago’s food bank—has received funding through NCOA’s Senior SNAP Enrollment Initiative to help older adults apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The benefits hotline at the Food Depository receives thousands of calls from older adults seeking assistance with food and applying for SNAP.
The food bank has responded to the need by connecting callers to local food pantries and organizations that are delivering meals and providing SNAP application assistance and case application support to ensure eligible older adults are connected to SNAP.
As community providers and advocates, there are steps you can take to ensure all older adults have access to food and SNAP:
- Work with your state agency to increase awareness of SNAP among older adults, including where and how they can apply.
- Promote the SNAP online pilot and free or reduced-price delivery options.
- Request for your state to approve the use of electronic or telephonic signatures, which allows community providers to submit SNAP online applications over the phone.
- Advocate for a simplified SNAP application and renewal process for older adults to be made permanent and universally available.
- Advocate for the temporary 15% increase in SNAP benefits to be made permanent.
NCOA offers several resources that you can use and share to promote SNAP.
- BenefitsCheckUp®: Help older adults find out if they’re eligible for SNAP.
- SNAP Outreach and Enrollment Tools: Use these materials to encourage older adults to apply for SNAP.
- Watch our recorded webinar to examine the work we've done and how policy and advocacy can fit into stopping senior hunger.
You can help ensure older adults have access to nutritious food and get connected to the benefits they are eligible for in your community.
