Featured Gifts

Food insecurity is often seen as a problem that is of particular concern for children — however, the 'silent sufferers' of this epidemic are often the elderly, who are many times overlooked in hunger awareness efforts. Our 'greatest generation' grew up in a time where it wasn't always socially acceptable to ask for help. They may be on a fixed income, struggling with the rising cost of groceries or may be homebound and unable to find transportation to access food. Not wanting to appear burdensome, many seniors quietly endure their hunger.

The Bronstein Foundation is proud to help support the work of the Tri-State Food Bank, a member of Feeding America, to help combat senior hunger through their Senior Grocery Program — an initiative that partners with local senior centers to provide nutritious food to seniors on a monthly basis.

The Senior Grocery Program provides participants with a grocery bag stocked with nutritious foods that are carefully selected to ensure they are foods that most seniors enjoy. The Office of Veterans Affairs graciously provides tote bags that are stocked with many different food options, which are then distributed to local senior centers. Before they are distributed, volunteers add fresh produce to the bags, ensuring each recipient has a healthy variety of foods. The added benefit of this program is that the bags contain nutritious staples that allow seniors to cook multiple meals on their own, helping them maintain their independence.

This program is designed to fill the gap in areas where federal programs are not available. According to Glenn Roberts, Executive Director of Tri-State Food Bank, with the support of the Bronstein Foundation, over 1,000 seniors are enrolled in the program, which provides the equivalent of 15,000 meals each month.

"The psychological impact of hunger and food insecurity is greater than we often realize," says Mr. Roberts. "By giving seniors regular access to nutritious foods, we are not only keeping them from going to bed hungry, but we are also helping to alleviate worry over where their next meal may be coming from."