Right now, YOU can make a difference to seniors in our community! The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation has presented our food bank’s Care and Share Senior Feeding Program with a $350,000 challenge match. When you help us raise $350,000, your dollars will be fully matched, doubling the impact for the thousands of seniors enrolled in the program!
What is the Care and Share Senior Feeding Program at Harry Chapin Food Bank? It’s a transformative program that has greatly helped a vulnerable segment of our community.
The program was launched six years ago to help serve seniors in Southwest Florida. One in twelve seniors struggles with food insecurity, meaning they do not always know where their next meal will come from. Even after meticulous planning for retirement, many seniors are going without food.
Monica is one of those seniors. After working most of her life, she dreamed of what retirement would be like, expecting relaxation, fun, and adventure. She envisioned days of tennis with friends, regular card games on the lanai, and lovely dinners out to fuel leisurely walks on the beach. Those were the dreams that drove her preparation.
Monica had planned, she saved, and she prepared. Even though she would be living on a fixed income, she was ready for her golden years. Then life happened. Her husband passed away after a long illness, she developed unexpected and serious health concerns that Medicare and/or insurance wouldn’t fully cover, and her storm-damaged home needed repairs beyond the scope of her insurance.
Monica’s budget for medicines, therapies, and other expenses was increasing, so she adjusted her food budget downward. A little adjusting soon became a lot of adjusting and she was not getting the nutrition she needed to stay self-reliant and healthy.
Then, Monica found our Care and Share Senior Feeding Program, which has been able to help her and so many others from this too often overlooked population. Our program provides seniors with monthly food kits designed to help supplement their diets and meet their nutritional needs.
Your gift CAN, and will, make a difference! Please join us in making sure that no senior has to go hungry.
Your contribution empowers us to reach more hearts, alleviate more hunger, and create a community where every senior feels cared for. Thank you for sharing.
