Stop Senior Hunger initiative receives national honor | Community Spirit

The Green River Area Development District says its “Stop Senior Hunger” food drive has been honored with an Aging Achievement Award by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).

“Stop Senior Hunger” was among 44 local aging programs to receive honors at the n4a Annual Conference, July 7-12, in Denver, Colorado.

Launched in 2011, the “Stop Senior Hunger” initiative is a collaborative effort of GRADD, Independence Bank, Comfort Keepers, Specialty Foods Group, and Canteen. The annual spring food drive aims to provide a week’s worth of groceries to low-income senior citizens in Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, McLean, Ohio, Union, and Webster counties. In March and April 2012, over seven tons of non-perishable food items and $5,000 in monetary donations were collected to benefit 505 seniors across the region.

The 2012 n4a Aging Achievement Awards recognize Area Agencies on Aging, such as GRADD, that have developed successful, cost-effective initiatives to support older adults, persons with disabilities and their family caregivers. The honored programs serve as models for other agencies seeking new and effective approaches to address the needs of older residents and their families in local communities.

“As the nation’s older adult population continues to grow dramatically, we are going to need to develop more and more innovative strategies to address the needs of the 60+ population as well as to find new ways to utilize the many assets they possess. We are so pleased to be able to recognize and honor these innovative and successful programs and practices that are doing just that,” said n4a CEO Sandy Markwood.

“This project shows how powerful public-private partnership can be,” said GRADD executive director Jiten Shah. “It is very exciting to see communities come together to generously help some of our region’s most vulnerable citizens.”

Based in Washington, DC, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) is a leading voice on aging issues for Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) across the country. The organization’s primary mission is to build the capacity of its members to help older persons and persons with disabilities live with dignity and choices in their homes and communities for as long as possible.

*To learn how to become involved in the “Stop Senior Hunger” initiative, please contact GRADD associate director for social services Vivian McNatton at (270) 926-4433.