AARP 4-6-17
This April, AARP Foundation is generating awareness about the critical issue of senior hunger and urging people to take action. More than 10 million Americans age 50 and older are at risk of hunger every day. Throughout Senior Hunger Awareness Month, AARP Foundation will highlight the issues of food insecurity and hunger among seniors and provide educational resources like “30 Hunger Action Items” that will encourage people to take simple steps to help combat hunger in their communities.
“When it comes to daily needs, hunger stands front and center. It’s hard to think about any other problems when you’re worried about whether you will be able to put food on the table” said Lisa Marsh Ryerson, president of AARP Foundation. “No one deserves to be hungry. Senior Hunger Awareness Month is an opportunity for every one of us to take action by working together across the country to fight senior hunger and its long-term consequences for overall health and well-being.”
Denny’s is showing its support for Senior Hunger Awareness Month by making donations to AARP Foundation via an in-store donation drive. For all AARP members who dine at participating Denny’s restaurant and show their AARP membership card during the month of April, Denny’s will donate 25 cents to AARP Foundation (up to $250,000) to help solve the problem of senior hunger.
“As America’s Diner, Denny’s has strong ties to the people and communities it serves,” said Denny’s Chief Executive Officer John Miller. “We’re incredibly committed to helping end hunger in our communities and are proud to support efforts — in our longstanding partnerships with both No Kid Hungry and Drive to End Hunger — which help serve kids and seniors throughout the country. With our donation to AARP Foundation, we hope to help make a difference to senior hunger, one meal at a time.”
AARP Foundation views hunger as a health issue. Every day many older adults skip a meal so they can pay the rent, keep their lights on, or feed their family. Research shows that food insecurity contributes to chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and depression. The relationship between hunger and health can easily become a vicious cycle, as low-income seniors have to spend more on their health care, have even fewer financial resources to spend on food, and may become socially isolated.
As a critical step, AARP Foundation is bringing together nonprofit, government and corporate stakeholders in the food and health sectors to reform the food supply system by creating solutions to combat food insecurity and hunger.
Information and resources are available at
Resources:
• Drive to End Hunger (www.dteh.org)
• AARP Foundation (www.aarpfoundation.org)
• Facebook (facebook.com/aarpfoundation)
• Twitter (twitter.com/aarpcares) #EndSeniorHunger