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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
March 22, 2019

LOCAL OFFICES FOR THE AGING PARTICIPATE IN ‘MARCH FOR MEALS’ EVENTS ACROSS THE STATE

Largest Nutrition Program for Older Adults in the Nation; Supports New York’s Efforts as First Age-Friendly State

New York State Office for the Aging, in partnership with area agencies on aging (AAAs) across the state, are highlighting New York’s nation-leading efforts in providing the highest quality meals to older adults as part of the national March for Meals campaign, held each year in March during National Nutrition Month.
 
“New York State’s nutrition program is the largest in the country and a major component in maintaining health, autonomy, and social connectivity for its hundreds of thousands of participants annually,” said New York State Office for the Aging Acting Director Greg Olsen. “There are few services that are more important and have a greater impact on preventing emergency room use and hospitalizations, helping older adults remain independent, avoiding isolation, and staying healthy.”
 
The state’s aging services network relies on volunteers to prepare meals and deliver them on over 2,400 meal routes and at more than 700 congregate sites throughout the state. In addition to providing a nutritious meal, home delivered meal drivers serve as the eyes and ears for their communities, providing an important health and safety check to at-risk older people. For many older adults, a home delivered meal volunteer may be the only person they see from week to week.
 
New York State officials, as well as AAAs from across the state, are participating in March for Meals events to raise awareness about the critical nutritional needs of older adults and the importance of healthy meals, nutrition counseling, and education. Counties participate throughout the month of March, and many hold events on March 22 each year to commemorate the date when the national nutrition program for adults 60 and older was established in 1972. This year, counties participating in March for Meals events include, but are not limited to:

Albany County Livingston County
Allegany County Madison County
Broome County Monroe County
Cattaraugus County Ontario County
Cayuga County Oswego County
Chemung County Otsego County
Essex County Putnam County
Franklin County Rensselaer County
Fulton County St. Lawrence County
Greene County Washington County

For more information, please click on one of the links above or contact your local AAA to see what events may be taking place in your area.

 
New York State:
  • Provides at least $53 million more for home delivered and community meals than any other state.
  • Ranks first in the nation for the number of people receiving nutrition services and supports.
  • Serves 21.5 million meals annually to 214,000 older adults.
  • Provides nutrition counseling, education, and health promotion services for almost 82,000 older adults every year.
  • Advocates to improve access to food for those in greatest economic and social need across the state, particularly those in underserved areas where there are high levels of poverty, environmental barriers to positive health behaviors, and low levels of access to needed health
For more information:

Fact Sheet – New York State: Leading the Nation in Providing Nutrition for Older Adults
Home Delivered and Congregate Meals 2018 by County
 
About the New York State Office for the Aging
The mission of the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) is to help older New Yorkers be as independent as possible for as long as possible through advocacy, development and delivery of person-centered, consumer-oriented, and cost-effective policies, programs, and services that support and empower older adults and their families, in partnership with the network of public and private organizations that serve them. Stay connected to the New York State Office for the Aging—download the NYSOFA mobile app for iOS or Android; visit the NYSOFA Facebook; follow @NYSAGING on Twitter; or visit www.aging.ny.gov.
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