Addressing Food Insecurities for Older Adults
Access to affordable and nutritious food is a basic need not being met for many older adults. They’re often faced with having to choose between heating their homes, buying medication, or buying food. Financial insecurity, isolation, lack of transportation, and limited access to information on available services all contribute to the likelihood of older adults being food insecure.

CHEF Webinar: Finding Connection Through Food: Cooking Meals Together
This program was generously sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets.
Nutrition education, cooking, and eating together offer a myriad of benefits for older adults including increased social connection, enhanced nutrition and health, improved appetite, and enriched quality of life. What are we doing around New England to bring older folks together for shared experiences around food? In this webinar we hear from organizations who are cooking together to promote better social and health outcomes for older adults in their communities.

CHEF Webinar: Food As Medicine
This program was generously sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets.
We hear from folks passionate about healthful eating and therapeutic meal integration. From medically tailored meals to produce prescriptions, how are organizations using food-based intervention to help prevent, manage and treat disease and illness as we age?

CHEF Webinar: Exploring Food Insecurity: How Do We Fill Our Plates?
This program was generously sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets.
Out of 78 million people age 60 and over, 7.1% are food insecure and 2.7% experience very low food security in the United States*. In this webinar, we explore the issues that contribute to food insecurity and how different Northern New England states are addressing food insecurity among older people. Presenters share success stories and answer questions about best practices and lessons learned while we discuss the state of food insecurity in the U.S. and share what we are doing to help older adults by getting nutritious food and resources out into our communities.  *2021 State of Senior Hunger (Feeding America)

CHEF Webinar: Meals on Wheels Programs: A Vehicle for Inclusion & Connection.
This program was generously sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets.
We’re all familiar with Meals on Wheels programs – but do you know what makes someone eligible for this service that’s so much more than a meal? In this webinar we’ll hear about how Meals on Wheels programs bring social connection into the homes of older adults who most need it. We’ll also learn what some organizations are doing to make these meals culturally appropriate for diverse communities!

CHEF Webinar: Mobile Food – Meeting Older Adults Where They Are
This program is generously sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets.
What are innovative ways that organizations are able to meet older adults where they are to distribute food? Are these methods effective in reaching older adult populations in meaningful ways that positively affect their lives? In this webinar, we’ll hear from organizations who are utilizing mobile food initiatives to reach older adult populations, and you’ll discover how these organizations have increased their community’s access to healthy food and more.

CHEF Webinar: SNAP Education and Outreach for Older Adults
According to the Food Research and Action Center, about 4.8 million older adults are enrolled in SNAP, but this figure represents less than half of the eligible population with around three out of five older people who qualify missing out on benefits, nearly 5 million people in all.* How are we successfully connecting older adults in our states to the food assistance programs available to them? In this webinar we will discuss organizational efforts in outreach and education to older adults around food benefits, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Community Eats: Lifelong Approaches to Healthy Eating (with a side of fun!)
This webinar featured innovative ways that communities and organizations are making it easier for older residents to enjoy healthy food—with a side of fun.

Community Gardens as Community Builders
Developing a community garden requires more than just the physical infrastructure of the gardens – raised beds, water systems, fencing. It requires building the community of the garden—engaging residents and developing leadership. Join us to hear proven strategies that community organizers have used to create strong community gardening programs with older residents in northern New England.

Engaging Community Food Sources During Covid-19
During the pandemic, we have seen creative ways people are engaging community food sources. From lifelong community initiatives developing a hot meal to go program instead of a weekly hot meal,  food pantries developing new ways to meet the needs in the community, to restaurants, local grocery stores, and farmers finding new ways to deliver food safely to their customers – we’ve seen creativity at work for food security across northern New England.