We Teamed Up to Help Seniors With The Brown Bag Program

We were excited to participate in our first Brown Bag Program on Tuesday July 11th! The program is organized by Somerville Cambridge Elder Services (SCES), and sponsored by the Greater Boston Food Bank. The program Volunteers organize, fill, and pick up over 600 bags filled with nutritious foods once per month (one-bag per house hold) and deliver to person’s in need. A typical brown bag may contain milk, cheese, rice, meat, vegetables, fish, oats and other healthy items! Our Community Relations Coordinator Victoria Guskiewicz is the volunteer from our office, for more information about the event, you may contact her at vguskiewicz@rightathomemass.com

• Address: The Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave #1c, Somerville, MA 02143, USA
• Date: July 11, 2017 (Tuesday)
• Time: 8:00am-12:00noon

The program offers seniors a variety of foods that represent a well-balanced diet based on the USDA standards. Food items include: fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, pasta, rice, ground beef, tuna, green beans, peanut butter and other whole grains. According to the USDA food guide pyramid, experts recommend the following foods into one’s diet daily: grains (6 oz.), vegetables (2 ½ cups), fruits (2 cups) milk (3 cups) and protein (5 cups). Each brown bag contains these items, to ensure recipients are getting their daily intake of nutrition. For more about the USDA food guide pyramid visit mypyramid.gov.

Access to healthy and nutritious foods are crucial for the senior population and are important for maintaining good health and quality of life. This program ensures that seniors receive the nutritious foods they need to stay well. Also, according to the USDA dietary guidelines, healthy eating helps to prevent chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

To be eligible for the program registrants must live in Somerville or Cambridge, must be 60 or older, disabled, and living in a housing facility occupied primarily by the elderly, must meet program guidelines or be a recipient of one or more of the following types of assistance: Food Stamps, Medicaid, SSI, Fuel Assistance, Veterans Aid.

To register for the program please call 1-617-628-2601 ext. 3117 and leave your name, address and phone number to receive an application; mail the application back with a copy of your ID; once the application is received by SCES, a Brown Bag Card will be mailed to you (this card is required to receive a Brown Bag).

The next Brown Bag Program will be in August, the second Tuesday of the month from 8:00AM-12:00PM, join us and help a senior in need!

At Right at Home Boston and North, we can help older adults by lending a hand with meal panning, grocery shopping and cooking—helping seniors put their best fork forward for every meal.

For more information about Somerville Cambridge Elder Services and about the Aging Information Center please visit www.eldercare.org; or call 617-628-2601.