[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H3316]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HUNGER AMONG SENIORS GROWING IN AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, at the end of March, I had the privilege 
of spending some time with the Highland Valley Elder Services' Meals on 
Wheels program in Northampton, Massachusetts, as part of their ``March 
for Meals Month'' to raise awareness about senior hunger.
  I began my visit in the kitchen at the Walter Salvo Elder House, 
where an average of 550 healthy meals are prepared from scratch every 
weekday for delivery to homebound seniors and disabled residents of 
Hampshire County.
  I had the opportunity to chat with Highland Valley director Allan 
Ouimet and nutrition program director Nancy Mathers. Then I helped 
volunteer driver Arthur Mongeon pack up the day's meals in insulated 
coolers to keep the food hot. This day's meal was homemade chicken 
covered in gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, 
applesauce, and milk. The food looked and smelled delicious and 
reminded me of what my grandmother used to make.
  I joined Arthur on his normal N1 route, making stops at 15 homes in 
Northampton. At each stop, I had the opportunity to deliver the meal 
and chat with the residents. It was an eye-opening experience, and I 
thoroughly enjoyed hearing people's stories.
  Each meal delivered contains one-third of the daily nutritional 
recommendations. For many individuals, the meal they receive from Meals 
on Wheels is the only well-balanced meal they eat all day.

                              {time}  1030

  The individuals who receive these meals are low-income and often have 
significant health challenges that make it simply too difficult to 
prepare a full meal, never mind going out to the grocery store to shop.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the most interesting things I learned from my 
visit is that Meals on Wheels is so much more than just a meals 
program. People who are homebound--many, who live alone--look forward 
to the brief, daily visits from the volunteers. These visits lift their 
spirits and allow them to socialize, and volunteers can check in and 
see how they are doing. Because of programs like Meals on Wheels, 
seniors can stay in their own homes where they are most comfortable and 
live independently longer.
  Mr. Speaker, when we talk about food insecurity in this country, 
nearly everybody talks about children, and we are right to want to do 
everything we can to end childhood hunger. But lost in that narrative 
is the reality that, among the food insecure, the rising population is 
seniors. One in twelve seniors in our country is faced with the reality 
of hunger. That is 5.3 million seniors who don't have enough to eat. 
Many are living on fixed incomes that often force them to choose 
between prescriptions and food--or paying their medical bills or 
heating their homes.
  Seniors and the disabled represent about 20 percent of those who 
receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits. 
The average SNAP benefit for households with seniors is a meager $134 
per month. Unfortunately, we also know that eligible elderly households 
are much less likely to participate in SNAP than other eligible 
households. Many seniors may not realize that they qualify for 
assistance, or they may simply be reluctant to ask for help.
  Seniors have unique nutritional needs. Hunger is especially dangerous 
for seniors and can exacerbate underlying medical conditions. Food-
insecure seniors are at increased risk for conditions like depression, 
heart attack, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
  Mr. Speaker, May is Older Americans Month, and national organizations 
like Feeding America, the nationwide network of food banks, are focused 
on raising awareness about senior hunger through their 
#solveseniorhunger social media campaign.
  In July, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Older 
Americans Act, which provides a range of critical services, including 
Meals on Wheels, that enable about 11 million older adults to stay 
independent as long as possible. To honor that significant anniversary, 
I hope that Congress will pass a strong reauthorization of OAA 
programs, which have been flat-funded over the past decade and without 
a long-term authorization since 2011. Demand for OAA programs and 
services continues to rapidly increase as our population ages, and to 
think that more and more seniors will experience hunger is 
heartbreaking. It is unacceptable in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent the wonderful people and the 
work that they do at Highland Valley Elder Services throughout western 
Massachusetts. Every day they are making the lives of seniors a little 
better and a little brighter. We in Congress should do our part to 
ensure that our Nation's seniors don't go hungry. We should pass a 
strong reauthorization of the Older Americans Act and adequately fund 
programs like Meals on Wheels, and we should reject harmful cuts to 
SNAP that will disproportionately harm the most vulnerable among us: 
children, seniors, and the disabled.
  Mr. Speaker, we should urge the White House to hold a White House 
Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Hunger to come up with a 
comprehensive plan to end hunger once and for all in this country. We 
can and we should end hunger now.

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