R-248 Page 1 of 1
2024
No. R-248. House concurrent resolution recognizing March 2024 as National Senior Nutrition Program Month in Vermont and celebrating over a half century of the federal Senior Nutrition Program.
(H.C.R.189)
Offered by: Representative Noyes of Wolcott Offered by: Senator Westman Whereas, 28 percent of Vermont’s population is 60 years of age or older, and the threat of hunger confronts 15 percent of older Vermonters, and Whereas, on March 22, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed Public Law 92-258, an amendment to the Older Americans Act of 1965, that established the national Senior Nutrition Program for individuals 60 years of age or older, and Whereas, the impetus for the national Senior Nutrition Program was the recognition that persons in this age group may not eat adequately due to a lack of finances, an inability to
prepare nourishing meals, limited mobility, and feelings of loneliness, and Whereas, in Vermont, the national Senior Nutrition Program is administered through the State Unit on Aging at the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living and the area agencies on aging, and meals are delivered to local cooperating meal sites including senior centers and other community locations, as well as to individual homes,
and Whereas, in 2023, Vermont’s five area agencies on aging and Vermont’s 45 meal providers provided more than 1 million nutritious home-delivered or congregate meals to more than 16,000 older Vermonters, and Whereas, Meals on Wheels is a key element of the national Senior Nutrition Program through its provision of nutritious meals, safety checks, and friendly visits to those at risk of hunger and isolation; and 96 percent of the Vermont meal recipients report having enough food to eat, now therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the General Assembly recognizes March 2024 as National Senior Nutrition Program Month in Vermont and celebrating over a half century of the federal Senior Nutrition Program, and be it further Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living; the Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging; the Vermont Association of Senior Centers and Meal Providers; each area agency on aging; and the Vermont Foodbank.
VT LEG #376039 v.1