Montco SAAC partners with NFESH

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Director of Nutrition Services, Soo Lee, preparing leftover food to be taken to compost.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County is partnering with NFESH, The National Foundation to End Senior Hunger, in an effort to reduce
food waste, increase efficiency, and enhance senior nutrition in Montgomery County. The What A Waste™ Program, which Montco SAAC’s Norristown Center will implement in mid-August, aims to decrease senior hunger through sustainable food practices including measuring theamount of food waste from the Center’s daily on-site congregate lunch, updating the menus based on focus groups with those served while maintaining nutrition standards, and diverting the uneaten food into compost used in on-site produce gardens.

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According to the United Health Foundation’s 2018 Health Rankings, 15% of Pennsylvania adults 60 or older having faced hunger in the past 12 months. Efforts like NFESH’s What A Waste™ Program are paramount to staving off food insecurity for the seniors of Montgomery County. “Montco SAAC’s mission is to ensure that older adults are able to live fulfilling, healthy lives,
which is impossible to do on an empty stomach”, says Soo Lee, Director of Nutrition Services at the Norristown based senior center. “This program will help us collect data around deficiencies in the diets of those we serve while simultaneously cutting down on food waste, and increasing access to fresh produce through the compost portion of the program. We’re hoping that this is something that our participants will embrace, and will help bring sustainability and nutritional security to the broader community of Norristown.”

The What A Waste™ Program, implemented at Montco SAAC’s Ambler Center during the summer of 2016, contributed to the organization receiving the Best Practice in Nutrition for Older Pennsylvanians Award from the Pennsylvania Department of Aging for the nonprofit’s innovative and engaging congregate lunch program. Montco SAAC’s participation in What A Waste™ is funded as part of the organization’s $150,000 PA Senior Community Center Grant in the spring of 2018.

Montco SAAC of Norristown will host NFESH president, Matt Levine, at the launch of What A Waste™ on Tuesday, August 14th, which will be open to the public. Refreshments will be provided. The Center is located at 536 George Street, Norristown PA 19401. To join the fight against food insecurity in our community, register for Montco SAAC’s 8th annual Outrunning Senior Hunger 5K Run & 3K Walk on Saturday, September 15th at Montgomery County Community College. Registration is available at runsignup.com. Proceeds benefit the Montco SAAC and all of the seniors served through its programming.

About Montco SAAC

Through recreational, educational, and social programs at two locations in Montgomery County, our Centers involve, enrich, and empower adults 50 years of age or better to create and maintain independence in all phases of life. Our Meals on Wheels program is a natural extension of this belief, as our three programs allow over 350 homebound seniors in Montgomery county to remain safely and comfortably in the own homes. For more information, visit www.montcosaac.com.

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