City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and his Committee on Aging are hosting the first ever Mayor’s Summit on Senior Hunger Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 10am-2pm at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida (411 Mercy Drive, Orlando, FL).
The summit is an effort to bring together national and local community organizations and not-for-profit groups who currently offer initiatives, programs and resources to senior citizens affected by hunger.
The summit will educate and provide insight on the rising senior hunger epidemic and its devastating impact on the community. Attendees will also collaborate and work together to develop a plan aimed at addressing the growing issue of senior hunger in the City of Orlando.
As a result of the unique nutritional needs and health challenges senior citizens face, such as diabetes or heart conditions, the access to healthy foods is more difficult to achieve. In 2012, about 22% of senior citizens in Florida aged fifty years or older reported not having enough money or other resources for a sufficient amount of food. Florida is one of the top 10 states with the highest numbers of seniors facing the threat of hunger with approximately 698,880 seniors statewide suffering from food insecurity. Orlando alone has approximately 8,000 seniors over the age of 55 and 4,000 seniors over 65 years of age who face hunger daily. While nutrition assistance programs such as Seniors First’s Meals on Wheels and Neighborhood Lunch Program provides 976 seniors lunch five days a week in Orange County, 1,140 seniors are still on the waitlist to receive these services. With the number of seniors expected to double nationally by 2030, the issue of food insecurity is projected to increase by 50%.Those presenting include: Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, District 3 City Commissioner Robert F. Stuart, The Mayor’s Committee on Aging, Maggie Biscarr, AARP Foundation Hunger Impact Area Program Manager, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Seniors First - Orlando, Senior Intervention Group of Lake Mary, Senior Life Solutions and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The summit will educate and provide insight on the rising senior hunger epidemic and its devastating impact on the community. Attendees will also collaborate and work together to develop a plan aimed at addressing the growing issue of senior hunger in the City of Orlando.
As a result of the unique nutritional needs and health challenges senior citizens face, such as diabetes or heart conditions, the access to healthy foods is more difficult to achieve. In 2012, about 22% of senior citizens in Florida aged fifty years or older reported not having enough money or other resources for a sufficient amount of food. Florida is one of the top 10 states with the highest numbers of seniors facing the threat of hunger with approximately 698,880 seniors statewide suffering from food insecurity. Orlando alone has approximately 8,000 seniors over the age of 55 and 4,000 seniors over 65 years of age who face hunger daily. While nutrition assistance programs such as Seniors First’s Meals on Wheels and Neighborhood Lunch Program provides 976 seniors lunch five days a week in Orange County, 1,140 seniors are still on the waitlist to receive these services. With the number of seniors expected to double nationally by 2030, the issue of food insecurity is projected to increase by 50%.Those presenting include: Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, District 3 City Commissioner Robert F. Stuart, The Mayor’s Committee on Aging, Maggie Biscarr, AARP Foundation Hunger Impact Area Program Manager, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Seniors First - Orlando, Senior Intervention Group of Lake Mary, Senior Life Solutions and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).