2022 COMMUNITY MEETINGS

The Mary E. Bivins Foundation hosted community meetings in April of 2022 in Borger, Childress, Clarendon, Dalhart, Hereford, and Perryton.  The purpose of the meetings was to (1) share some of the work that the Bivins Foundation has been doing the past few years regarding food insecurity in older adults and (2) gain a better understanding of the challenges that are faced by organizations and individuals working to address the issue. There were 30 unique participants that represented community organizations that provided a feeding service to older adults. Most of the organizations represented had a food pantry, congregate meal, or home delivered meal service. See the results from the conversations here. Questions about community gardens, farmers markets, and other resources were asked and here are the results for those questions.

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2020 FEEDING PROGRAM SURVEY

In December of 2020, the Bivins Foundation completed a survey of feeding programs throughout the Texas Panhandle.  The goal of the survey was to get information directly from food program providers that would help shape the next steps in how the Foundation addresses hunger and food insecurity for seniors in the Texas Panhandle. Results 2020 Food Program Survey

 

2018 SENIOR HUNGER STUDY

In the summer of 2017, a variety of circumstances brought the issue of senior food insecurity to the forefront for a number of funders in the Panhandle, leading to joint discussions between the Amarillo Area Foundation, Harrington Cancer and Health Foundation, High Plains Christian Ministries Foundation, and Mary E. Bivins Foundation. As a result of these conversations and its commitment to provide for the elderly in our community, the Mary E. Bivins Foundation committed resources to enable an in-depth study of the issue of food insecurity among Panhandle seniors.

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The study was conducted between October 2017 and January 2018, with three goals in mind: 1) Identify the scope of the issue related to older adults and food insecurity in the Panhandle; 2) Produce a list of resources that will be of assistance to service providers and others addressing this issue; and 3) Provide an impetus for discussion and collaboration among organizations already serving this growing population and hopefully influence action on how to move forward.

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This resource can serve as a first step in helping change-makers understand how to improve the lives of our seniors in meaningful and effective ways. It is anticipated that the information collected via this process will serve as baseline data, providing a benchmark against which future progress can be tracked. The next step will be for key stakeholders to take this data and identify what they see as the most important issues to address, keeping in mind feasibility, effectiveness, and measurability as they determine priorities.

 

Download the Senior Hunger Study
Appendices List
Appendix A Organizations Interviewed for Hunger Study
Appendix B Convening Data
Appendix C Senior Food Offerings
Appendix D List of Amarillo Food Pantries
Appendix E Chart of Amarillo Food Pantry Operating Days
Appendix F On Your Way to Offering Client Choice
Appendix G Food Shelf Assessment
Appendix H Fighting Senior Hunger Coalition Resources
Appendix I Older Adult Food Shelf Survey
Appendix J Hunger Terms and Definitions

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