Page 44 - August 2015 Life In Naples Magazine

Harry Chapin
Food Bank
New program helps feed hungry seniors

E ach month, Estila and thousands of other Southwest Florida seniors confront
a difficult choice:

1 Do they pay for their medicine and rent or do they buy food? More often
than not, they sacrifice buying food to get by.

Estila, a Naples resident who lives on about $710 in monthly Social Security

payments, is among the estimated 3,000 seniors the Harry Chapin Food Bank

(HCFB) serves each month through a network of 150 partner agencies that operate

food pantries and other feeding programs. “It’s a tremendous help,” Estila said of the

fresh produce, meat and other food she received during one of the food bank’s mobile

pantry distributions.

Nearly one in six – 9.6 million – seniors in the United States struggles with

hunger. Senior hunger is an especially difficult issue to tackle because of the unique

nutritional needs linked to aging and the medical conditions of older individuals.

Seniors are at increased risk for chronic health conditions including depression,

heart attacks, asthma and congestive heart failure, according to Feeding America,

the country’s leading anti-hunger organization and HCFB’s national affiliate.

2 “Senior hunger is a quiet but very real problem in our community,” HCFB

President and CEO Al Brislain said. “Many seniors whose savings evaporated

during the recession are still struggling to regain their financial footing while others

have experienced a health crisis that’s left them with no money to pay their medical

bills and other expenses, much less food.”

The Harry Chapin Food Bank is the only food bank in Florida to launch

the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). With a goal of enrolling

2,400 low-income residents ages 60 and older, HCFB provides these clients with

a box of food each month until they no longer need the help. The boxes contain

a variety of food including canned fruits and vegetables, juice, dry beans, rice,

peanut butter and cereal. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides the food

through Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

“This is the first time Florida applied to participate in this USDA program,”

said Robin Safley, director, division of food nutrition and wellness, with the

3 state’s agriculture department.
The program began in Collier County in the spring, and has expanded to

Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. About 1,200 seniors were enrolled

in the program by early July, and 618 of them are Collier County residents, said

Kari Lefort, HCFB’s programs director.

“Coming out of the box with a new program, we wanted to make sure it

was very successful,” Safley said. “The Harry Chapin Food Bank has been a

phenomenal partner, and we rely on them to understand the needs of the

community.”

1. & 4. Harry Chapin Food Bank volunteers Sophia Hesse (L, in blue) and Lisa Morrison (R,
in green) pack boxes of food for seniors in need.

2. Harry Chapin Food Bank volunteers Sharon Wilmoth (L, in purple) and Lynn Madore (R, in
light gray) pack boxes of food for seniors in need.

3. Harry Chapin Food Bank volunteer Sharon Wilmoth tapes a food box that will be given to

4 a senior in need.

44 Life in Naples | August • September • October 2015