My Personal Time

AARP Oregon is mobilizing members and the public to volunteer their personal time and get involved in Drive to End Hunger www.drivetoendhunger.org. Donate time and/or food to local food pantries, help coordinate food drives and to join a Community Action Team (CAT).  CAT's are volunteers who work together to work on aging issues in the communities where they live.

See Also: AARP Resources on Hunger and Food Insecurity

AARP is committed to fighting hunger which is a growing problem in people 50 years and older. An AARP Foundation report found 1 in 11 Americans aged 50 years and older are at risk to going hungry. Oregon is one of the 10 hungriest states for people aged 50 to 59 years old.

“The recession has taken an especially large toll on older people, particularly those in the middle class,” said Bandana Shrestha, AARP Oregon Director of Community Engagement. “The problem among the young and old is far bleaker than ever before.”

Hunger is a growing problem in people 50 years of age and older and an AARP Foundation report found 1 in 11 Americans are at risk of going hungry.

In Oregon food insecurity has grown by leaps and bounds as Oregon has become one of the 10 hungriest states for people aged 50 to 59 years old.

Last summer, AARP and AARP Foundation kicked off the Drive to End Hunger campaign, and AARP Oregon started a hidden hunger program, which is a peer led, service learning project for adults. Washington County volunteers went through a series of seminars learning about the hunger problem in this state and capped the classroom off with hands-on work at the Oregon Food Bank where they packed food or played in the dirt at local community gardens.

“Hunger is not just about having enough money. There are nutrition issues, mobility issues and people unable to cook,” Shrestha said. “Your neighbor might be hungry and you don’t even know it.”

To get involved in AARP’s fight against hunger email us at oraarp@aarp.org or call 1-866-554-5360.