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Fighting Food Insecurity in the Salt Lake Senior Citizen Community with Green Urban Lunch Box

06 May 2022, by Admin in General/ Logistics

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Fighting Food Insecurity in the Salt Lake Senior Citizen Community with Green Urban Lunch Box

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When compared to other age demographics, seniors experience food insecurity at a disproportionately high level. Many hunger resources fail to meet the needs of food insecure seniors. NCOA states that 3 out of 5 seniors who would qualify for SNAP benefits do not participate, often because of barriers related to mobility, technology, and social stigma.

Another issue many seniors face is isolation or a lack of social companionship. The CDC differentiates loneliness and social isolation by “Loneliness is the feeling of being alone, regardless of the amount of social contact. Social isolation is a lack of social connections. Social isolation can lead to loneliness in some people, while others can feel lonely without being socially isolated.” According to the CDC, one in four elderly Americans are considered to be socially isolated. This can have major impacts both on physical and mental health – social isolation and loneliness are associated with increased risks of dementia, stroke, high blood pressure, heart disease, a weakened immune system, depression, anxiety, and suicide.

To combat the issue of senior citizen food insecurity and isolation The Green Urban Lunch Box partners with Salt Lake County’s Aging and Adult Services, Utah State University Extension’s Master Gardeners Program, and Salt Lake County Jail’s Horticulture Program to host Free Farm Stands for seniors at local senior centers. in 2021 a new partnership with the Salt Lake Canning Co. was created to preserve produce from GULB’s summer season to distribute to seniors in the winter. The produce comes from gardens in GULB’s Back-Farms Program and fruit trees in GULB’s FruitShare Program. The Back-Farms connects volunteer Garden Apprentices with senior citizens to build, cultivate, and maintain organic gardens in the backyards of seniors at no cost to them. The program provides a hands-on educational experience, connections, and fresh, local produce to all participants.  The FruitShare Program partners with fruit tree owners and community volunteers to harvest and distribute fruit that would otherwise go to waste.

Free Farm Stands

This year, GULB participated in 25 Free Farm Stands (and produce drop-offs) at senior centers, serving approximately 948 seniors. In total 7,165 lbs of Back-Farms produce and 2,653 pounds of fruit from FruitShare were distributed. GULB served an average of 38 seniors at each market, with an average of 7.5 lbs of produce to each senior.

Salt Lake Canning Co. 

A new partnership was created this year in an attempt to extend GULB’s food services into the non-growing season. The Salt Lake Canning Co’s goal is to reduce food waste through the canning of locally grown produce. The Salt Lake Canning Co. was able to preserve 529 lbs. of B-grade (or imperfect) fruit harvested in GULB’s FruitShare program. GULB was then able to distribute 230 jars of preserves, including applesauce, plum puree, apricots, and pears, to the Back-Farms senior participants.The hope is to expand this partnership to include different types of produce and provide more food to seniors during non-growing seasons.