EXPANDING FOOD ACCESS FOR HOMEBOUND SENIORS: A Year of Growth and Impact

In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, we launched our monthly Senior Food Box delivery program to reach homebound seniors in Lorain County. Today we’re delivering food boxes to nearly 300 seniors with the support of 80 volunteers in Lorain County.

Over the past year, our team has taken bold steps to ensure aging never becomes a barrier to accessing nutritious food. Recognizing a growing need among rural, homebound seniors in Crawford and Huron counties, we secured a grant through Feeding America to address Rural Senior Hunger. Many older adults in rural areas lack access to the food they need because of limited public transportation, long distances to grocery stores, mobility issues, and limited dollars.

Working with trusted partners like the Bucyrus Salvation Army and Simon Acts, we replicated our delivery program to meet the needs of seniors.  Drawing on our experience in Lorain County, our team worked closely with both programs to create the framework and to recruit and train volunteers. Through the grant we provided funding for WORKING TOGETHER TO GROW HOPE Our dedicated volunteers fuel our work and make our mission possible every day. Last year, our volunteers sorted 2.3 million pounds of food, packed over 60,000 boxes and generously gave 25,056 hours of their time. April was National Volunteer Month, and we want to say a big THANK YOU to our 3,038 amazing volunteers.  routing software, tracking templates, marketing materials, and essential tools like coolers, wagons, and temperature guns. Volunteers go through background checks and training, and we offer gas cards to offset the fuel costs to reduce barriers to volunteering.

Across our region, nearly 450 seniors now receive monthly senior food box deliveries — and we’re making plans to reach even more seniors in the future!