Meeting the needs of senior food insecurity takes a community
The recent federal government shutdown exposed a truth that is often overlooked: food insecurity among older adults remains one of our region’s most pressing and vulnerable challenges.
For thousands of seniors and vulnerable families across Western Pennsylvania, the sudden halt or reduction of SNAP benefits was not an inconvenience — it was a crisis. Unfortunately the situation, meant uncertainty about the next meal for many, and decisions no one should be forced to make late in life.
At Lutheran SeniorLife, we serve seniors whose incomes are fixed, families whose budgets are already stretched, and participants in our LIFE and housing programs who depend on stable support systems. When the shutdown began, we did not have the luxury of waiting to see what would happen next. We acted immediately.
In our HUD-supported housing communities, roughly 70% of our 198 tenants rely on SNAP benefits to purchase essential groceries to support their well-being.
When those benefits were paused, residents and staff worked together to create weekly tenant-led luncheons — a compassionate, grassroots effort to bring neighbors together and ensure that no one went hungry. These gatherings showed the strength of our community, but they also highlighted how close many older adults are to the edge.
Our LIFE (Living Independently for the Elderly) Programs, which support more than 700 participants across four counties (Butler, Beaver, Armstrong and Lawrence), expanded operations the moment the shutdown took effect.
Our teams prepared and delivered supplemental frozen meals, established food pantries at each LIFE Center, coordinated emergency food boxes with local food banks, and increased wellness checks and screenings to identify participants at risk of hunger or isolation. In many cases, our staff were the only lifeline available.
While the federal government has reopened and SNAP benefits are being restored, the ripple effects will be felt for months. A missed benefit payment for a senior is not a temporary inconvenience — it can lead to skipped medications, heightened anxiety and declining health.
What we witnessed reinforces the importance of ensuring continuity of services, especially for those who are least able to absorb sudden disruptions.
As an organization, our mission is to help individuals live an abundant life, we believe this moment requires more than reflection. It calls for readiness.
Lutheran SeniorLife is strengthening partnerships with food banks and community organizations, updating emergency response plans, maintaining stocked food reserves and enhancing communication systems to ensure a rapid response to future disruptions.
But this issue is larger than any one organization. As a community, we must continue to advocate for policies and support systems that protect our most vulnerable neighbors. The shutdown may have been temporary, but the need for stability in food security is ongoing.
At Lutheran SeniorLife, we remain steadfast in our mission: to serve with compassion, to act with integrity and to ensure that no senior in our region is left behind — no matter the circumstance.
Yet even with the passage of the new state budget, which provides modest assistance in some areas, many of the services for older adults such as skilled nursing received no additional support. This lack of investment is deeply concerning, given the growing and complex needs of the seniors we serve.
Our advocacy must continue — and it will. Together with LeadingAge PA, we will ensure that these issues remain at the forefront of next year’s legislative discussions.
David Fenoglietto is president and CEO of Lutheran SeniorLife.
