Study: Nebraska has few senior citizens going hungry

While this is a day about giving thanks, a new campaign aims to raise awareness about low-income senior citizens who routinely skip meals or buy poor quality food to survive.
Jo Ann Jenkins, president of the AARP Foundation, says Nebraska is among the best states for an elderly person to live, according to a new study. Nebraska ranked 48th on the list of 50 states, with about 3% of seniors facing the daily threat of hunger.
“Nebraska is in pretty good shape, but even having one individual hungry in the state is too many,” Jenkins says. “We know that 15.9% of the people in Nebraska say that the reason they’re hungry is because of a lack of financial resources.”
Through the national effort called Drive to End Hunger, Jenkins says Nebraskans can help to tackle the problem.
Jenkins says, “We want to really engage people at all levels, whether you’re an individual who can make a donation to our www.DriveToEndHunger.org website, or bring food or volunteer at a local food bank, or if you’re a corporation, we want you to join with us.”
The study finds more than six-million Americans over the age of 60 are facing the threat of hunger daily. That number is expected to increase by 75% by 2025.
“These statistics are from the latest research from Meals on Wheels,” she says. “Meals on Wheels is one of the organizations who actually goes out and delivers a nutrutional hot meal to seniors across the country so we use their statistics for this information.”
Whether you give $5 or $5,000 or have five minutes or five hours to volunteer, she says every bit counts.