May is Older Americans Month, a time to focus on the many seniors across New Jersey and the country who do not have enough to eat. We know from our latest Hunger Study that 19% of those served by CFBNJ are age 60 and older, and across the Feeding America network of food banks, seven million seniors seek food assistance. 63 percent of those seniors tell Feeding America they often have to choose between paying for food or medical care and prescriptions. And a study just released last month by The National Foundation to End Senior Hunger reports that 15.5% of seniors in the U.S. face the threat of hunger. That’s 9.6 million seniors. Many of our partner charities continually see older people who are in need of food, and very grateful for the help they get. Helen, a frail 85-year-old who lives with her disabled son, says a food pantry helps her stretch her meager fixed income. She tells us, “I don’t have to spend too much out of my Social Security for food. I can have the money for my bills and medicine.” Another woman, 80-year-old Mary, lives alone and battles health problems including diabetes and high blood pressure. “It’s very important because the food is healthy,” she says. And 68-year-old Joyce says, “I used to eat three meals a day, but now I have cut it down to two. People don’t realize how hard it is being hungry.” Along with the food distributed by our partner charities, the FoodBank distributed 25,648 boxes of food last year through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program to low-income New Jersey residents age 60 and older. You can help feed hungry seniors here in New Jersey when you make a donation to CFBNJ.