Every day, there are seniors struggling to put food on the table. The problem is that some seniors go hungry without realizing that they have options. In cases like these, seniors could be eligible for The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps low income people buy nutritious food from participating stores.
Filling out a SNAP application is not always easy for seniors and getting into the program can be a lengthy process. To help, Jewish Family & Career Services (JFCS) will be conducting outreach workshops throughout 2016 to prescreen seniors over the age of 50 for SNAP eligibility and helping them through the application process.
JFCS’s Louis and Lee Roth Family Center is a site where seniors can meet anytime with a counselor to determine their eligibility and fill out the online application. Home appointments can also be scheduled for seniors with mobility issues.
The program is open to seniors of all faiths and denominations. Seniors can contact JFCS at 502-452-6341 to schedule an appointment to meet with a counselor.
JFCS receives support for this program from MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, a national nonprofit organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel. MAZON launched Solutions to Senior Hunger in partnership with the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies (AJFCA) and generous funding from The Walmart Foundation.
“As the only national Jewish organization focused exclusively on issues of hunger, MAZON is uniquely positioned to do this work,” says Abby J. Leibman, president and CEO at MAZON. “We bring 30 years of experience in the anti-hunger field, shaped by Jewish values and tradition, to a population that too often suffers in silence.”
MAZON acts to ensure that hungry people have access to the nutritious foods they need today and works to develop and advance long-term solutions so that no one goes hungry tomorrow. Under MAZON’s initiative, JFCS will act as a liaison between clients and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Department for Community Based Services, the government agency that manages SNAP in Jefferson County.
Forthcoming dates for SNAP outreach events will be made available at jfcslouisville.org and on the JCC Community Calendar.