The URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger-Free America was awarded a two-year grant for $120,000 from Tufts Health Plan Foundation to strengthen food security among R.I.’s older adults with low-income by improving access to, use of, and retention in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need to improve the system for older people with low-income to apply and enroll in the SNAP, often the first line of defense against hunger and food insecurity.  This project will advance health equity by building collaborations between the Department of Human Services (DHS) and its partners to more effectively and efficiently serve older people.  Hunger Center staff will train, educate and provide technical assistance to community agency staff working with older adults and create a team of staff and older adults to work with policymakers on increasing access to SNAP.  Identified strategies include simplifying overly long applications, reducing burdensome documentation requirements, and eliminating technology barriers.

Tufts Health Plan Foundation is the only regional funder exclusively focused on healthy aging. This is one of 10 new community investments totaling more than $1.325 reflecting the Foundation’s commitment to policies and practices that advance healthy aging. The new grants engage older people in systems-level change to remove barriers responsible for inequities in communities across the region.