Park-It Market – An Innovative Solution to Senior Food Insecurity
April is Senior Hunger Awareness Month which calls attention to the fact that for many seniors who are on a fixed income, food insecurity is an ongoing worry.
In Orange County, older adults are the fastest-growing demographic – the county currently has about 495,000 residents aged 65 or older, roughly 15.7% of the total population. By 2050, the county’s 65-and-up crowd is expected to nearly double, to 926,000, or 28% of the total.
This creates a “silver tsunami” of aging residents who are deeply vulnerable to poverty due to fixed incomes. These residents often have to make sacrifices in their food budget for bigger, more immediate needs like housing and medication.
Second Harvest is providing a solution to the ever-present existence of senior food insecurity by rolling right up to the doorstep at senior communities throughout Orange County to provide free, nutritious food through a pair of walk-up, refrigerated “Park-It Markets” (PIMs) housed in trailers that allows residents to socialize and mingle as they select the products of their choice.
This approach provides a response to three significant issues seniors face:
- Food/nutritional insecurity (often arising from fixed incomes)
- Lack of/limited mobility
- Loneliness
When first introduced in 2018, the first Park-It Market (PIM 1) was the first of its kind in the nation. Now we have a second proof-of-concept vehicle, Park-It Market 2 (PIM 2), which is affectionately named “Granny’s Market” in honor of the mother whose family foundation’s generous contribution helped to launch it.
This program allows recipients to gather together and “shop” for their own nutritious items, including lean protein, dairy, eggs, locally grown vegetables and fruit. Additionally, the Park-It Markets are on a consistent weekly schedule so seniors can look forward to it arriving and have a routine.
Park-It Markets 1 and 2 serve approximately 2,500 adults above age 60 each month.
We rely on volunteers to help load the Park-It Markets at our Distribution Center in Irvine before they hit the road! If you are interested in registering for a volunteer shift, visit https://feedoc.org/get-involved/#volunteer.
Jill Wilson decided to volunteer with Second Harvest in 2008 when she was in between jobs and looking for a way to apply her talents that could benefit the community. She arrived one day at Second Harvest’s former distribution center in Orange, ready to serve, and felt immediately connected to the mission.
Like Jill and Ian, other friends of the food bank may be looking for ways to connect meaningfully with Second Harvest to help those experiencing hunger in Orange County for years to come. One simple way to make a significant impact, while achieving peace of mind, is by creating a will or revocable living trust with our partner, FreeWill.
March is National Nutrition Month, an annual awareness campaign that encourages us to learn about nutrition, develop healthy eating habits and discover the fun of being physically active. At Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, we strive to provide everyone in Orange County with the nutrition they need to grow and excel in life.
Last spring, here at Second Harvest we completely revamped our focus to proactively purchase fresh nutrition for those in need, ensuring a steady pipeline of protein, dairy, eggs, fruits and vegetables to our approximately 300 partner and program sites. As a next step, we recently unveiled our new, 6,200-square-foot cold storage facility and two additional cold docks that establish a “cold chain” at our distribution center in Irvine. This gives us a total of 14,550 square feet of cold storage, which greatly enhances our ability to source and distribute more nutritious food.
Second Harvest continues to fight increasing food insecurity through our Pop-Up Drive Thru food distributions with the help of many amazing volunteers and it is no surprise that many of them are mothers. Jacqueline is one such volunteer and I wanted to learn more of her story.
here to volunteer representing other mothers…to give back to the community, to be a role model to my children. As a mother, as a woman, as a friend, as a wife…you have so many hats you have to put on and one of them is giving. When I go home my daughter asks me, “Mom what did you do today?” And I say, “I got to give back to people, people that really don’t have as much as we do.” Hopefully she sees me doing this and then as she gets older, she’ll want to give back just the same way.”
Pantry. Their style traditionally has always been very welcoming and focused on building relationships with those they serve. They would put out coffee and pastries and spend time talking with the families who would come early just to socialize.
One of Nancy’s key volunteers, Mary Kaye, also shared insights. Mary Kaye is an emergency room doctor who has been spending much of her spare time serving at the Saint Timothy pantry. She began volunteering pre-COVID by taking blood pressures on pantry days and translating for Spanish-speaking clients.. All the changes have her missing conversations and connecting with the families they serve.
can take your blood pressure soon,” and encouraging them.”
Whatever the situation that keeps students on campus and struggling to feed themselves, the Fresh Basic Needs Hub at UCI remains open to serve them, supported by food from Second Harvest. Student hunger is a serious challenge, made even worse by the pandemic, but Fresh, as it’s called, has the mission to provide for the basic needs of UCI students, allowing them to focus on academics.
Last week did not feel hopeful. Seeing the injustice of the past few days makes me cringe. It causes me to grieve when I see people treated unfairly or worse. But I’m choosing to move forward with hope. How can I have hope this week? Because I know Andrea and I see how she treats people who sometimes feel trapped. The team at Fresh, and all the other college pantries in Orange County serve as a lifeline for their students, providing for basic needs and offering a dignified experience for everyone who comes to them for help. Their service is a beacon of hope in the darkness.
redirected those emotions toward survival and humility. While it was a very difficult decision, Stephen and Kristina decided that in order to make it through this crisis, they would need to receive assistance the first time in their lives. This is what it means to be newly vulnerable.