NCOA Selects 20 Organizations to Enroll Older Adults in Food Assistance
3 min read
Contact:
Simona Combi
Public Relations Manager
571-527-3982
simona.combi@ncoa.org
Dec. 10, 2024, Arlington, VA—The National Council on Aging (NCOA), the national voice for every person’s right to age well, has awarded grants to 20 organizations in 13 states to enroll 20,000 eligible older adults in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The initiative is funded by the Walmart Foundation as part of its efforts to improve access to food for all.
“Too often, older adults on limited incomes have to choose between buying food and paying their bills or rent,” said Jessica Johnston, Senior Director of NCOA’s Center for Economic Well-Being.
SNAP is designed to help, but far too many eligible older adults are not enrolled. This work will enable us to connect more people to this vital benefit.”
The grants range from $50,000 to $100,000, for a total of $1.3 million. Grantees have 18 months to increase enrollments in their communities, with a goal of getting 20,000 older adults enrolled in SNAP. This is part of NCOA’s SNAP Enrollment Initiative, a national effort that supports community-based organizations and agencies to assist older adults in applying for and enrolling in SNAP.
In 2022, nearly 7 million older Americans were food insecure, and research shows this number could rise to 9 million by 2050. SNAP helps older adults ensure better nutrition, which improves health outcomes.
The organizations, located in states where less than 12% of households with adults 60 and older are enrolled in SNAP, include:
- Feeding the Gulf Coast (Ala.)
- South Alabama Regional Planning Commission (Ala.)
- Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance (Ark.)
- Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (Ark.)
- Hunger Free Colorado (Colo.)
- Senior Resource Development Agency (Colo.)
- City Fare (Del.)
- Food Bank of Delaware (Del.)
- Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force (Idaho)
- Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana (Ind.)
- Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (Kans.)
- Metro Lutheran Ministry (Kans.)
- Human Resource Development Council (Mont.)
- Hunger Free Oklahoma (Okla.)
- Epworth Children's Home (S.C.)
- Davis County Senior Services (Utah)
- Department of Community and Human Services (Va.)
- Feed More (Va.)
- Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington (Va.)
- Catholic Charities West Virginia, Inc. (W.Va.)
In addition to finding and enrolling older adults in SNAP, the organizations will follow up with clients to make sure they received the benefits and see what barriers either delayed or prevented enrollment. This will help NCOA improve the customer experience to attract, engage, and connect older adults to SNAP.
About NCOA
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is the national voice for every person’s right to age well. We believe that how we age should not be determined by gender, color, sexuality, income, or ZIP code. Working with thousands of national and local partners, we provide resources, tools, best practices, and advocacy to ensure every person can age with health and financial security. Founded in 1950, we are the oldest national organization focused on older adults. Learn more at www.ncoa.org and @NCOAging.
