BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — 23ABC's annual Senior Food Drive is back. This year, we're partnering with the Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank to help senior citizens in Kern County.
Seniors in our communities are heavily affected by food scarcity. Most rely on friends and family to help them with their grocery shopping, but that's not the only issue they face. According to CAP-K Food Bank Program Administrator Kelly Lowery, the recent surge in inflation and food prices is also harder on seniors.
"Many seniors live on fixed incomes, so when the price of different things goes up, it impacts them even more because they can't make adjustments to their income or anything else to accommodate for that, and so we see the impact on seniors specifically being very drastic," said Lowery.
Lowery says without community business and organization partners, CAP-K wouldn't be able to continue with the work it does addressing food insecurity specifically among Kern's seniors.
CAP-K's Senior Food Box is one of the specific services dedicated to seniors. Every month, the program is able to feed around 5,000 seniors.
"Whether it's through the normal network pantry and commodity partners that we have around Kern County, seniors have a lot of different access points to get assistance," said Lowery.
CAP-K also engages in drive-through food banks and distribution, and even goes so far as to bring food deliveries directly to seniors' homes to ensure they feed as many people as possible.
Lowery wants to remind the public just how impactful CAP-K's efforts can be, since there are many people who rely on these services, and the best way for CAP-K to meet its goals is through the help of the community.
Donations of non-perishables and low-sodium food items are accepted and appreciated. Donors are encouraged to think ahead about their donations and pick items suitable for people who may have more complicated dietary needs or might not be able to easily eat foods that are too chewy or crunchy.
For a complete list of drop-off locations and suggestions on possible items to donate, visit our Senior Food Drive page right here on our website.
