Cathleen Naugle is among area older adults who once a month get a Senior Box — a carton of food designed to assure they have consistent access to healthful eats.
Naugle, 61, said she “never really used to think about food pantries and the like when I had a better income. But now that my income is quite limited, it can be rough.”
Naugle, who works part-time at the OPEN M ministry in Akron as a receptionist, goes to OPEN M’s food pantry — one of the largest in the area — to pick up her box.
She’s one of hundreds of area seniors participating in the Senior Box effort — a federally supported program that is new to the area.
A new study found that currently 85,110 people in Summit County sometimes don’t have access to safe and nutritious food.
That includes about 24,880 children.
The numbers are based on findings from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study that used data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as food-price data.
The numbers are down from the prior year when 87,480 people including 26,620 children did not have access to healthy food.
“We’re still drowning,” said Daniel Flowers, president and CEO of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. “We’re not just sinking deeper. There’s still a lot of food insecurity in the area.”
Food security, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “means access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life.”
Major food supplier
The food bank serves roughly 500 food pantries and other programs, including hot meal sites and shelters, in eight counties, including Summit, Stark, Portage, Medina and Wayne.
The food bank also is the local administrator for the Senior Box program.
Naugle, the part-time OPEN M receptionist and clerical worker, picks up her monthly Senior Box at OPEN M ministry, south of downtown Akron. The ministry operates one of the largest food pantries in the area.
Naugle, who lives in Cuyahoga Falls, obtained her job at OPEN M through a nonprofit organization called Mature Services, which connects seniors in need of employment to community groups.
OPEN M staffer Julie Carneal said the ministry, which also runs a free medical clinic, has enrolled about 70 older adults in the Senior Box program.
Participating seniors, Carneal said, “are very appreciative because the box is more geared to be a protein box.”
Naugle said she has received two boxes so far. Each has contained a variety of food including cheese, cereal, shelf-stable milk, evaporated milk, juice, pasta, peanut butter and canned meats.
The food, she said, allows her to stretch her food dollars.
“It’s nice to not have to buy the cans of vegetables, the cereal and the pasta when you go to the store. You can spend your money on fresh vegetables, or things like ketchup and fresh meat.”
Locally, the Senior Box program was launched earlier this year. Food bank volunteers fill monthly boxes for about 600 older adults in the eight-county area, said Flowers, the food bank’s CEO.
Important data
Food banks say the Map the Meal Gap study — which provides data for communities across the country — allows people to see that food insecurity is an issue that affects their neighbors.
Additionally, food banks can look at the data by ZIP code to determine where resources are most needed.
The data also serves as a reminder that food banks’ work hinges on public support, Flowers said.
The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank’s annual Harvest for Hunger drive is wrapping up. This year’s goal is $1,250,500.
Flowers said Friday he wasn’t ready to reveal the campaign’s results.
“All I can say is we are excited to share some really positive news about the campaign with the community very soon. We’ve had a good campaign.”
Reach Katie Byard at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com. You can follow her @KatieByardABJ on Twitter or on Facebook at www.facebook.com.