A new report found that at least 154,500 North Texans age 60 and older are struggling to get enough to eat.
Statewide, the problem is even larger: Texas has the nation's highest level of food insecurity, with more than 6 million residents, across all ages, facing hunger.
Here's what to know
A July analysis from the Tarrant Area Food Bank and North Texas Food Bank, using Feeding America's local data, found that more than 20% of Texans experiencing food insecurity live in North Texas. News outlet KERA News also reported that Texas has more food-insecure seniors than any other state.
Shannon Miller, intake and client navigation director at The Senior Source, told the outlet that older adults can be especially vulnerable because many live on fixed incomes and too often out of public view.
"Often older adults are referred to as 'the forgotten hungry' because many of them are tucked in their homes and not getting out and about where others can lay eyes on them," Miller said.
Those pressures may intensify with recent changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at the national level. The U.S. government reduced its share of SNAP costs, shifting 75% of those costs to states, while also adding stricter work requirements.
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More background
Many barriers impacting older adults are physical or logistical. Some individuals can't get to a senior center, some can't reach a food bank, and others are disabled or homebound, causing isolation and food insecurity to overlap for many across the country.
The strain also extends to the paperwork tied to aid.
In Texas, Miller told KERA that some seniors can't get to The Senior Source's office to make copies of the documents required for SNAP and other state benefits.
Even after enrolling, older adults can run into the same obstacle during renewals, she said, because they may be asked to repeat the process even though their financial situation has barely changed.
What can be done?
If someone knows an older adult with few friends or family nearby, helping with grocery shopping can ease an immediate burden while also reducing isolation.
In the Carolinas, local news outlet WBTV suggested that adult children check on their aging parents' fridges and cabinets when visiting during the upcoming winter holiday season.
In Kentucky and Missouri, food banks are working to ensure that shelf-stable meals are designed to meet seniors' nutritional needs.
In Texas, Miller urged people to make sure seniors know what local resources are available. KERA News reported that for homebound people, options such as Meals on Wheels and community-partner outreach can be essential when a trip to a pantry or senior center isn't possible.
A ride to an office, help picking up supplies, or assistance copying or completing benefits-related documents can also make a huge difference. For older Americans living mostly on Social Security, even "small" benefit cuts or disruptions can have profound and immediate impacts.
Where can I learn more?
These articles look further at how rising costs and strained benefit systems are making it harder for older adults to get enough to eat:
• In Los Angeles, the Meals on Wheels list neared 100 as seniors juggled rent, food, and medicine.
• In Cleveland, food bank demand among older adults jumped 45% as higher prices strained fixed incomes.
• On Long Island, skipping meat and chasing sales became routine as seniors feared their money would not last.
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