The elevator closest to Julia’s apartment has been broken for weeks. She can either go down the stairs or walk across her apartment complex to catch another elevator. At 70, her arthritis makes either choice a difficult trek, but today the trip is worth it.
Despite experiencing pain in her right knee and left ankle, she’s all smiles with a red flower in her hair and a matching red shirt. She has decided to take the stairs down to the Food Bank’s monthly Healthy Options Program for the Elderly (HOPE) food distribution day at her apartment complex.
Julia is one of 3,800 older adults across the Food Bank’s service territory who each month benefit from HOPE, a program that helps reduce hunger among low-income seniors age 55 or older by providing them with free healthy, shelf-stable foods.
The Food Bank is excited to announce that it has been awarded a $92,500 grant to support its programs for older adults. The grant is one of twelve awarded by Feeding America and is made possible by funding from the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation. It is the largest investment Feeding America has made to date to support senior hunger programs.
“Enterprise Rent-A-Car is woven into the fabric of communities across the country. Seniors with food insecurity is an issue in many of these communities and our donation and partnership with Feeding America will help address this critical need,” Enterprise Holdings Foundation Vice President and Executive Director Carolyn Kindle Betz said.
The gift will support HOPE and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), which works to improve the health of low-income persons at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA Foods.
For older adults on a fixed income, the food they receive from HOPE is essential.
Julia relies on Social Security to pay for all her expenses, and it’s not enough. She keeps a tight budget and schedule to make sure she is able to pay her rent and utilities. She refrains from using her car as much as possible, because she can’t afford to constantly pay for gas.
Her grocery trips come once a month, but thanks to the Food Bank and its partners like Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation, she can supplement the groceries she buys with food from the HOPE program.
“It helps me out a whole lot on the canned good side because when I buy my meats, I have very little left to buy my canned goods. The pantry over here at Heritage Point Apartments helps me out a whole lot and I appreciate it,” Julia said.
Last year the program served 787,271 pounds of food across 28 HOPE sites in Central Texas.
HOPE participants get 30 pounds of food each month to help them keep a balanced diet. They will receive cereal, green beans, corn, juice, oatmeal and milk among other shelf-stable items.
For Julia, the cranberry juice is her favorite item, but she’s also grateful for everything else she receives that helps keep her healthy.
“It’s good for me to get the healthy food here. It’s important for me to get healthy food to keep my body in good shape. We have exercise machines here and the healthy food helps us out a whole lot,” she said. “I appreciate everything. Thank you so much.”
