Lifestyles

Helping The Hungry Can Be A SNAP

Posted: 12/8/2011

Older Americans whose low income threatens their food security can get the help they need.

(NAPSI)—There could soon be good news for the nearly 9 million Americans age 50+ who face the risk of hunger.

The Problem

Most never dreamed this would happen to them. They’d worked hard, paid their taxes and given back to their community. Unfortunately, the money they counted on to meet their basic needs no longer stretches to the end of the month. Perhaps they lost their job and can’t find another—people 55 and older average more than a year now between jobs. Maybe they’re among the one in three older people whose home value has plunged. They may have experienced the unexpected loss of their spouse or partner. Whatever the cause, they now face a daily, agonizing choice between buying groceries or the medicine they need, between paying the rent or paying the electricity bill.

Many of them are too afraid or embarrassed to tell anyone. They may even tell their own children that they are just fine, thank you very much.

What’s Being Done

There is help through SNAP, the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which some places still call “food stamps.” SNAP benefits come on an easy-to-use EBT card that looks just like a debit card, and the card can be used to buy food in thousands of grocery stores, farmers’ markets and other food retail outlets around the country.

Today, at least 7 million people age 60+ are eligible for SNAP, but just a third gets benefits. That’s why AARP Foundation’s Drive to End Hunger is working to educate the other two-thirds of SNAP-eligible seniors and help them enroll in the program.

What You Can Do

“If you know any older people who might need help, don’t let them suffer in silence any longer. At AARP Foundation, we have an online map, www.aarp.org/snapmap, that lets people check their eligibility and tells them how to apply for SNAP benefits where they live,” said Jo Ann Jenkins, the Foundation’s president. “The average benefit for people age 60 and above is $103 per month and that can make a big difference between hardly eating and healthy eating,” she said. “If you can’t go online, call (800) 221-5689 for SNAP information. Do it today. No one of any age should ever go hungry in the United States.”

AARP Foundation is AARP’s affiliated charity—the heart of AARP. The Foundation creates solutions that help low-income, vulnerable older people get their everyday essentials—food, housing, income and personal connection.

To learn more or to donate, go to www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation.

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