DENVER (Jan. 11, 2022) — The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) has launched Everyday Eats, a free monthly food box that provides the building blocks to create filling, nutritious meals to older adults who lack consistent access to food resources.
Many older Coloradans living on a fixed income struggle to meet even their basic needs; Colorado ranks in the top 10 states for older adults without reliable access to affordable, nutritious food, according to Feeding America. This monthly box, a rebrand of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, contains food staples that will help to supplement what you might get at the grocery store to ensure nutritious, complete meals. Items included in the box are canned fruit and vegetables, cereal, rice or noodles, peanut butter or beans, and protein. These monthly food packages include options for low-sodium, diabetic-friendly, and other dietary needs.
“Our goal is to increase access to nutritional meals among older Coloradans, who often live on a fixed budget and struggle to meet their basic needs,” says Kathy Underhill, Food Distribution Programs manager for CDHS. “The program provides eligible adults 60+ with monthly packages of food basics like rice, cereal, beans and canned goods — everything they need to make complete, healthy meals. We’re here to help older Coloradans maintain their sense of dignity while getting the basic foods they need to prepare healthy meals and stay nourished.”
According to Feeding America’s Spotlight on Senior Health, food-insecure older adults consume fewer calories, including 10 key nutrients, and are:
- 60% more likely to report depression
- 52% more likely to have a heart attack
- 40% more likely to experience congestive heart failure
- 22% more likely to experience limitation on their Activities of Daily Living
In homes where older adults are raising grandchildren, they are at three times the risk of being food insecure. Everyday Eats boxes will help decrease the impact of food insecurity in older adults.
Everyday Eats is available in all 64 Colorado counties for qualifying older Coloradans. A media kit will be provided to interested organizations.
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) is a federally funded program that provides USDA Foods to low-income people 60 years of age or older. The program works to improve the health of these low-income adults by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA Foods.
If you or an older adult you know could benefit from having access to nutritious foods, sign up at EverydayEatsCO.com.
Media contact:
Jordan Johnson
Interim Deputy Director of Communications
jordan.johnson@state.co.us
720.355.3657