Recent research from Citymeals on Wheels reveals that nearly half of New York adults over age 60 who use older adult centers and home-delivered meal programs experience food insecurity, exposing an overlooked food insecurity crisis. And according to the nonprofit’s CEO Beth Shapiro, the tax and spending bill signed into law by Donald Trump this summer further threatens this vulnerable population.

Of those surveyed by Citymeals, 65 percent live on US$15,000 a year or less and 32 percent do not receive social security. “These numbers demand national attention,” Shapiro tells Food Tank. “Federal policies must move beyond outdated models to ensure consistent, comprehensive nutrition programs for older adults.”

But Shapiro says the federal government is only adding strain to the organization’s meal recipients and anti-hunger partners across the country. “This federal bill will push more of our older neighbors into poverty and increase long-term healthcare costs,” she says.

The cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid as a direct threat to the safety net that communities rely on, according to Shapiro. “There is a misunderstanding that long-term care is funded through Medicare,” she says. “But once older adults run out of money—and we see that every day—they’re on Medicaid. And that’s what’s being cut.”

Shapiro says she sees the impacts on a regular basis, recounting the story of Julia, a 75-year-old stroke survivor who depends on a fragile network of services to survive, just one example of this overlooked food insecurity crisis. “Julia already has to choose between food, rent, or important medicine. These federal decisions don’t exist in a vacuum; they ripple through every part of the elder care system.”

Since 1981, Citymeals has expanded beyond daily deliveries to include weekend, holiday, and emergency meals, as well as pilot programs such as Mobile Grocery deliveries and Breakfast Boxes. The organization’s reporting shows that these services offer significant stability to older adults, with 87 percent reporting that home-delivered meals help them remain in their own homes.

Read the full article about older people facing food insecurity by Anthony Nicome at Food Tank.