Seniors avoid hunger with SNAP assistance

PRIME August 2012 By Linda F. Fitzgerald AARP State President Special to PRIME Nearly 119,000 seniors in Massachusetts risk going hungry every day, unnecessarily. In my book — that's not right. According to Project Bread, one of the state's leading anti-hunger organizations — participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, has increased over the past five years. Yet, many Bay State residents don't take advantage of these benefits because they either don't know how to apply, or are unaware they are eligible. As we approach Hunger Action Month in September, it's my goal to not only raise awareness about SNAP, but to help Springfield residents sign up to get the help they may need to pay their grocery bills. A federal program, administered at the state level, SNAP helps families and seniors buy the nutritious food they need for good health. The cornerstone of the nation's nutrition safety net, it helps prevent and alleviate food insecurity and hunger. In Massachusetts, the benefit works in tandem with the Elder Nutrition Program, which provides home-delivered meals to older persons as well as meals at senior centers and other central locations. SNAP benefits average about $130 a month for groceries, and can help prevent seniors from having to make tough choices between buying food or medicine. Remember, as we get older, if we go hungry, we're more likely to be hospitalized and have chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes. SNAP helps you to buy food at grocery stores, convenience stores, some farmers' markets and co-op food programs. At the checkout counter, you use an electronic benefit transfer card, which works like a debit card, to pay for food. It's simple — and nothing like using the food stamps of days-gone-by. Remember, this is not a welfare program. It is a food assistance program. Seniors with regular income from Social Security or a pension may still get SNAP benefits. Eligibility is based on household size, income and certain expenses, such as out-of-pocket health care costs for seniors. For most, assets such as savings and investments will not be counted, nor will the house that you are living in or your IRA. Also, seniors do not have to comply with work requirements. Whether you own your own home, live in elderly housing, or have moved in with family — and especially if you are living on a fixed income — I urge you to find out if you, or a loved one, are eligible for the program. To find out more about SNAP, call the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts at 800-247-9632. They can help you enroll over the phone, or you can find out about in-person enrollment clinics that AARP will be hosting at Springfield libraries next month. Still, there's so much more we can do to help end elder hunger. On Sept. 5, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Stop & Shop locations in Springfield, I invite you to join AARP Massachusetts and Drive to End Hunger for food drives to benefit local relief efforts. Drive by and drop off non-perishable food items to help your neighbors, and our community. I hope to see you there — after all, it's a snap! A lifelong Springfield resident, Linda F. Fitzgerald is the volunteer state president of AARP Massachusetts, which serves more than 800,000 members age 50 and older in the commonwealth. Connect with AARP Massachusetts online at www.aarp.org/ma , www.facebook.com/AARPMA and www.twitter.com/AARPMA .