Recent study verifies "US Seniors Are Going Hungry"

US Seniors Are Going Hungry

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/245409.php

16 May 2012   

A new study that looked at the hunger trends over a 10-year period found that 14.85 percent of seniors in the United States, more than one in seven, face the threat of hunger. This translates into 8.3 million seniors.

"In 2005, we reported that one in nine seniors faced the threat of hunger," said Craig Gundersen, University of Illinois associate professor of agricultural and consumer economics and executive director of the National Soybean Research Laboratory who led the data analysis on the study. "So, unlike the population as a whole, food insecurity among those 60 and older actually increased between 2009 and 2010."

According to the study, from 2001 to 2010, the number of seniors experiencing the threat of hunger has increased by 78 percent. Since the onset of the recession in 2007 to 2010, the number of seniors experiencing the threat of hunger has increased by 34 percent.

Gundersen said that the fact that seniors in our country are going without enough food due to economic constraints is a serious problem that will have greater implications for senior health.

"Compounding the problem is that food insecurity is also associated with a host of poor health outcomes for seniors such as reduced nutrient intakes and limitations in activities of daily living," Gundersen said. "Consequently, this recent increase in senior hunger will likely lead to additional nutritional and health challenges for our nation."

The increases in senior hunger were most pronounced among the near poor, whites, widows, non-metro residents, the retired, women, and among households with no grandchildren present.

"What may be surprising is that out of those seniors who face the threat of hunger, the majority have incomes above the poverty line and are white," Gundersen said.

Other key findings in the study are that those living in states in the South and Southwest, those who are racial or ethnic minorities, those with lower incomes, and those who are younger, ages 60 to 69, are most likely to be threatened by hunger.

Hunger hurts, but in Fairbanks, Alaska we have found that sharing helps.  Thank you, Fairbanks, for your support!

Posted by Anne Weaver - 05/17/12, 07:31 PM

Another Lemonade Stand contributor!

The fun of these Lemonade Stands keep coming in!

Yesterday I had the joy of meeting Taeyoung Dunton, Joseph Dunton, and Kelli Anne Dunton (pictured below) and giving them a tour of the Food Bank after they dropped off their Lemonade Stand proceeds.

One child at a time, one Stand at a time, and this Food Bank is able to serve yet another household in need.  When you are talking about 10,000 households in a year, every one counts!

Thank you to all you young philanthropists, both who donated here and who gave elsewhere.  You are up and coming leaders taking ownership in your community early on in life.  Fantastic work!

Thanks!

Posted by Anne Weaver - 05/15/12, 02:30 PM

Keep those food items coming!

Occasionally we set a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) and we have done that during the month of May. 

We celebrate the Food Bank’s 30^th Birthday during May (1982 – 2012) and we are aiming to collect 30,000 pounds of food items for that event! 

We are half way there, with the Letter Carrier’s event which started last Saturday and will end this week, and we want to keep on going until end of May. 

Also, if you have ever donated food or money to the food bank, or received food from the food bank, or volunteered at the food bank in the past 30 years – please call Sam personally at 456-7267 and tell her your story.  We are gathering stories and good wishes for the NEXT 30 years!. 

You can also go online to www.fairbanksfoodbank.org and read stories shared by others or go to facebook.com and search for Fairbanks Community Food Bank to write your own story. 

This is a time to celebrate 30 years of SHARING in our community.

Thanks!

Posted by Anne Weaver - 05/14/12, 03:01 PM

Thank you Watershed 5th graders!!

Watershed school has continued to show themselves to be community leaders and faithful workers!

When the parents & kids started to arrive at the Fairbanks Community Food Bank our Customer Service staff looked out the window and were surprised to see the kids starting their day with exercises while they were waiting for the rest of their group to arrive.

Then, just like the 6th grade class, they came in to take a tour of the Food Bank. 

During this tour Anne always asks the folks to define "poor people" - who do THEY think the Food Bank serves.  The kids answers were right on the mark!  They talked about folks going through a divorce (expensive and unexpected), injured on or off the job (therefore unable to work momentarily), electricity & fuel costs, sickness, etc.. 

It is not often that kids this age go straight to these types of answers.  Their thoughtfulness about the world around them was striking and wonderful!

After the tour I dropped them off with Pam in the USDA warehouse where they, too, just like their 6th grade counterparts, packed 144 boxes in the next hour.  That is fantastic!  (And this time, after working with the 6th grade class, Pam was prepared for them :) ).

When I talked to Pam later in the day about how everything went she was totally excited!  She talked about wanting to invite them back several times next year because they were both hard working and a pleasure to be around. 

Thank you, Watershed, for the gift of your hard working students.  Both your 5th & 6th grade classes have highlighted your dedicated service to this community.

Thanks!

Posted by Anne Weaver - 05/14/12, 02:40 PM

The Fairbanks Community Food Bank will receive over $6000 from Fred Meyers customers and employees!!

From November 6, 2011 through January 28, 2012, Fred Meyer customers in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington donated coins designated for these relief groups. Additionally, Fred Meyer employees chose to combine their quarterly donations to the Fred Meyer Fund – Fred Meyer’s corporate foundation – with the coin box donations. The coin box and employee donations go to the food bank that serves the community in which the donations were made.

The Fairbanks Community Food Bank will receive $6,291.82 from Fred Meyer customers and employees, who donated almost $300,000 in the fourth quarter by dropping their change in the coin boxes located at Fred Meyer checkstands.

”With more food-insecure families than ever, we are pleased to be able to help alleviate some of the hunger by assisting local food banks,” said Melinda Merrill, public affairs director for Fred Meyer Stores. “The generosity of our customers and employees to their neighbors is something to celebrate.”

Fred Meyer has had coin boxes at its checkstands for more than 10 years, and the money collected in those coin boxes is distributed through the company’s corporate foundation, the Fred Meyer Fund. In 2011, the coin boxes raised more than $600,000, which was donated to local food banks, local military family support organizations, youth development and K-12 education, and programs promoting cancer awareness.

Thank you Fred Meyers for all you do!  The food we receive from you every month is invaluable for serving our customers.  We have also been recipients of the generosity of the Fred Meyer's Fund - you funded one of our trucks that we use for food pickup. 

You are a friend to this Fairbanks Community Food Bank and for that we are grateful!

Thanks!

Posted by Anne Weaver - 05/08/12, 02:38 PM

Happy Birthday Fairbanks Community Food Bank!!

30 YEARS!

That is a lot of years receiving free food and giving it away for free.  We could not serve this community without the support of this community.  WOW!

In 1982 we collected 12,000 pounds of food and served just a handful of customers.

By 1990 we were up to collecting 300,000 pounds of food and serving 4,000 people.

Since 2010 we have been collecting about 2,000,000 pounds of food and serving almost 40,000 people each year (almost 1/2 of them local children).

That is AMAZING!

We were founded in May of 1982 and want to celebrate this May by bringing in a RECORD 30,000 pounds of food for the Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger event. 

That is a big goal, but this community has risen to amazing heights supporting this Food Bank!

THIS SATURDAY please fill your mail box with non-perishable foods (canned goods, boxed goods, etc.).  Your letter carrier will pick it up and deliver it directly to our warehouse.

Thanks Fairbanks!!

Posted by Anne Weaver - 05/07/12, 03:05 PM

Lemonade Stands a success!!

Did you notice the mass number of cheery Lemonade Stands dotting the community yesterday?  There were over 150,000 kids, registered in 36 different cities across the nation, (300 in Fairbanks & North Pole, alone!) participating in Lemonade Day.  The point?  Teaching youth how to start, own, and operate their own business through a lemonade stand.

In this model, the children keep 1/3 of the proceeds for their own use, save 1/3 of the proceeds (important personal skill to learn!) and given 1/3 of their proceeds for community support (important community skill to learn!).

At this point I know of at least two of the Lemonade Stands that were directly working for Fairbanks Community Food Bank dollars - special thanks to the Dixon children and Paige Gappert!

I haven't heard the total yet from the Dixon kiddos, but Paige reported earning a whopping $70 for the Food Bank (that means she grossed $210 yesterday - WOW Paige!!)

We were sorry to not be able to stop by all the stands yesterday (especially the Dixon family because we want to support those that support us!) but we sure did enjoy the cookies & lemonade we were able to purchase!

Great work to all the Lemonade Stand owners and operators yesterday!  At the Food Bank we highly value the skills you learned over the last month!  Thank you for your support!

Thanks!

Posted by Anne Weaver - 05/07/12, 10:40 AM

Lemonade Stand donating to the Food Bank!

Paige Gappert is doing a LEMONADE STAND on Sunday, May 6^th between the hours of 12 and 4.  She is part of a larger project in our community on that day, a way for young people to learn about finances.  Paige has chosen to donate some of her proceeds to the Fairbanks Community Food Bank, and we certainly need her help and appreciate her efforts on behalf of our community.  Please support Paige and her LEMONADE STAND!  Her lemonade stand will be at 541 Slater Drive.

Posted by Anne Weaver - 05/04/12, 02:43 PM

THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOTES FAIRBANKS!

Yaaaaa Fairbanks!  Thank you for your votes!  We have been officially notified by Kendall Auto that we are one of the 4 recipients of $5,000. 

Thank you for your support!!

Thanks!

Posted by Anne Weaver - 04/30/12, 10:33 AM

Daisies volunteer!

Thank you Daisy Troop 127!

Our customers will enjoy your cookies!

And the bags of rice you bagged are so valuable to the households we serve!

1/3 of our workforce are local students.  To keep this Food Bank running smoothly we need 18,000 volunteer hours each year.  Thank you Daisy Troop, and all our young volunteers!  You make up over 6000 hours of volunteer time each year!

Thanks!

Posted by Anne Weaver - 04/23/12, 02:55 PM

Wells Fargo celebrates 160 years with a donation to the Fairbanks Community Food Bank

It always amazes me how supportive this community is!  Yesterday we received a phone call from Wells Fargo bank.  As a celebration of 160 years of banking they are giving $160,000 to charities across Alaska.  They had $16,000 to give to the charity of their choice in Fairbanks and we, the Fairbanks Community Food Bank, were picked!

We asked Darren, the Northern Alaska District President of Wells Fargo, how we became the recipients and he responded that it was employee choice.  MANY, MANY thanks to the employees who voted for us!

Pictured above are Darren Franz (Northern Alaska District President of Wells Fargo), Sam Kirstein (Fairbanks Community Food Bank Executive Director), and Vicki Kennebec (Fairbanks District Manager of Wells Fargo) with the Wells Fargo horse!  The horse is now proudly displayed in our lobby.

Wells Fargo has been in Alaska for the last 95 years.  They are huge supporters of nonprofits and schools in Alaska, focusing their giving on education, community development, human services, the arts, and the environment.

Thank you, Wells Fargo, for celebrating your anniversary by giving.  It was an investment well spent!

Thanks!

Posted by Anne Weaver - 04/19/12, 06:46 PM

Thank you Flint Hills Resources and United Way of the Tanana Valley!

Flint Hills Resources held a wonderful thank you party for over 140 volunteers from over 20 agencies yesterday!

We had the great honor of thanking Mike Walsh (not pictured) - Board President, Brad Johnson - Board Vice President, Robert Holden - Past President, Hollis Hall - Board Secretary, Karen Kiss - Board Treasurer, Larry Baillon - Board Member and daily volunteer (30 hours a week), Stan Zielinski - volunteer for over 20 years, Jim Murray - daily volunteer (30 hours a week).

Below is Jim Murray, preping for the luncheon, but always on duty!

Many thanks to Flint Hills Resources for the wonderful lunch, and also to United Way of the Tanana Valley who worked with FHR to organize this great event.

It is so hard to pick 8 out of 1800 incredibly valuable volunteers.  For the other 1792 of you, you are the backbone of this organization and are so appreciated!  Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to this Fairbanks Community Food Bank, and to the Fairbanks community.

Thanks!

Posted by Anne Weaver - 04/19/12, 01:23 PM