COLORADO SPRINGS — According to Feeding America, 5.3 million seniors were food insecure in 2018.
The rate of food insecurity among seniors is lower in recent years but it's higher than levels before the recession in 2008.
On Thursday, Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado drove their Mobile Market to The Villa at Sunny Vista, a local retirement home. It was the first time the Mobile Market had been to the facility. Care and Share brought a variety of food to the residents, who were grateful for the delivery.
"That is the purpose of this truck, is to take us directly into the community where those barriers exist, like limited transportation, and help those seniors have that access to food that they need to continue to live a healthy life," said the Chief Operating Officer for Care and Share, Shannon Coker.
Experts believe food insecurity among seniors is due to a number of reasons.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation 4.7 million adults ages, 65 and older lived in poverty in 2017.
Another risk for food insecurity in the presence of chronic disease and functional limitations, which tends to be higher among those 65 and older, according to the Food Research and Action Center. Those functional limitations can also lend themselves to a lack of proper transportation to get nutritious food.
The Mobile Market has a schedule, and typically visits schools, apartment complexes, or mobile home communities.
If you know of a place that would benefit from the Mobile Market, call Care and Share at (719) 937-4933.
