EngAGE Receives $10,000 Grant from Bank of America

Gardeners proudly show off their successful crop of corn!

EngAGE is very pleased to announce receipt of a $10,000 grant from Bank of America. The grant we received is part of ongoing investments the Bank of America Charitable Foundation is making to address immediate critical needs, such as hunger and shelter, and longer term solutions that promote financial wellness through access to benefits and resources. This significant grant will allow us to continue and expand our food distribution and food growing efforts in our low-income senior communities in the Southern California area.

According to the 2011 “Senior Hunger Report Card,” a study by Meals On Wheels, the nonprofit that delivers meals to the homebound, 15.2% of seniors, or 8.8 million people, face the threat of hunger. This is a statistically significant increase from 14.3% since 2009, the end of the Great Recession. From 2001 to 2011, the number of seniors experiencing the threat of hunger has grown by 88%.

“Increasing numbers of seniors in our country are going without enough food due to economic constraints. This poses a significant public health challenge, which in the absence of additional resources to feed seniors, will lead to worsening health and higher spending on medical care.”

Our EngAGE food programs serve a vital need!

Here’s how the Bank of America grant will help us have a positive impact on the lives of our residents who face food insecurity:

HEAL Food Distribution Program

EngAGE partners with the Los Angeles Food Bank and once a month provides residents with ten-pound boxes of healthy, nonperishable food, plus five pounds of produce tailored for the needs of seniors. The HEAL Food is picked up by EngAGE staff and the much-needed supplies are delivered to 400 low-income seniors in six properties in five different cities.

Gardening, Health and Nutrition Class

This weekly class gives residents the opportunity to garden and to raise their level of awareness on various health issues. Residents plant fruits and vegetables, and proudly maintain their garden. After the first hour, they move to the community room for an hour long health education course. The instructor focuses on healthy eating habits and daily exercise, and explains how these habits affect one’s body in a positive way.

Residents also meet monthly with the gardening instructor for a healthy eating workshop. The workshop focuses on using the community garden vegetables to produce great tasting, healthy, and inexpensive meals which residents can also make at home.

You can see some photos below of our food distribution and gardening programs in action. Click on any photo to enlarge it. [Email subscribers: click the title of the post if you don’t see photos in your email.]

EngAGE looks forward to continuing to provide programming that nourishes both the minds and bodies of residents in our senior communities! We’re gratified that Bank of America supports our efforts.