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Emergency Fund Coalition MembersTeam up to Feed Hungry SeniorsGenPhilly Focuses on Senior HungerThe Emergency Fund for Older Philadelphians provides alifeline for seniors in financial crisis. Each year, more than 10percent of Emergency Fund assistance is used to provide foodto frail needy seniors.PCA employees and Emergency Fund Coalition (EFC)members actively take part in fundraising efforts to supportthis vital community resource for seniors.Each spring, EFC members lace up their sneakers for theGreater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger’s Walk+RunAgainst Hunger. This event raises money for more than100 food pantries, soup kitchens and hunger-relief agenciesthroughout the region, including the Emergency Fund.All money raised by the EFC team is earmarked to provideEmergency Fund assistance to seniors for food. On Saturday,April 13, five PCA employees joined 16 other EFC membersin a brisk three-mile trek around the Philadelphia Art Museum.The dedicated contingent of PCA staff alone raisedmore than $1,100! At the time of publication, the final totalraised by all EFC members was not known.WPVI-TV Honors PCA’s Sung Young YunPCA’s Asian Outreach Coordinator SungYun Young was one of eight recipients ofthe “Unsung SHEro of the Year Award,”presented by the WPVI-TV 6ABCCommunity Advisory Board on May22. The annual award recognizes women“who have initiated new programs; usedinnovative methods to create a positiveimpact on people; implemented positive changes; andprovided examples for other groups or organizations.”Yun became PCA’s Asian outreach coordinator in 2004.She serves as PCA’s liaison with major Asian groupsin Philadelphia, including Chinese, Korean, Laotian,Vietnamese, Cambodian, Filipino, and Asian-Indian.Working with community-based agencies serving thispopulation and with members of PCA’s Asian AdvisoryCommittee, she disseminates information on PCA servicesand relays information to PCA on the needs of older adultsin the city’s Asian community.Volunteer cooks at the Klein JCC (left to right):Lenore Jacobson, Shellie Stark, Bonnie Wittenberg,Lynore Eisman and Shirley Davis.“One in six people 65 and over say they do not knowwhere their next meal is coming from. One in 10 reportskipping meals,” said Ginger Zielinskie at a March 20GenPhilly forum, that focused on ways to increasefood access for seniors. Zielinskie is executive directorof Benefits Data Trust (BDT), which works to helplow-income seniors obtain benefits.More than 80 people attended GenPhilly's forum,entitled “What’s Cooking? Exploring Innovations inSenior Hunger Relief.”A PCA program, GenPhilly is a network of young professionalsfrom a variety of fields, such as the arts, socialwork, urban planning, public policy, and communitydevelopment.Panelists highlighted four successful programs inPhiladelphia.•Uplift Solutions, Inc. develops supermarkets inlow-income neighborhoods.•West Philadelphia Fresh Food Hub’s Healthy FoodCarts program is a mobile farmers market that travelsto senior centers, block parties, community events andother West Philadelphia locales to increase access tofresh produce.•The Raymond and Miriam Klein JCC’s volunteerbasedCook for a Friend home-delivered meal program(pictured above) serves homebound elders and its Growfor a Friend community gardens program providesseniors with fresh produce.•A model nutrition program is sponsored by theSalvation Army of Greater Philadelphia at its BoothManor senior housing facility.For more information about GenPhilly, visitwww.genphilly.org; email GenPhilly@gmail.com; orcall Kate Clark, PCA planner for policy & programdevelopment at 215-765-9000, ext. 5072.page 3update SUMMER 2013 ISSUE
PCA will Distribute Produce Vouchers to Low-Income Seniors Starting July 8Seniors may receive produce vouchers one time per year only.Proof of age and Philadelphia residency is required toreceive vouchers. Acceptable forms of identification includePennsylvania driver’s license or a Pennsylvania non-driver’sID. Other forms of ID that include age and residency willbe considered.Vouchers can be used to purchase Pennsylvania-grown produce.This summer, PCA will distribute $20 worth of Senior Farmers’Market Nutrition Program produce vouchers to incomeeligiblePhiladelphia seniors. Since 2000, PCA has distributedthe produce vouchers to encourage seniors to eat more freshfruits and vegetables. Starting this year, the vouchers can beused to purchase only seasonal Pennsylvania-grown produceat certified farmers’ markets throughout Philadelphia.A variety of delicious produce is grown here in Pennsylvania,including apples, beets, berries, broccoli, cabbage, carrots,mushrooms, pears, potatoes, and more.Distribution of the produce vouchers will begin onMonday, July 8 and continue while supplies last. IncomeeligiblePhiladelphia residents, age 60 or older by the end ofthe year, may receive the vouchers at PCA, 642 North BroadStreet in Philadelphia (weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Voucherswill be distributed at other designated sites, including theReading Terminal Market, 12th & Arch Streets, on July 10and 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.The 2013 household income guidelines are: $21,257(1 person), $28,694 (2 people), $36,131 (3 people), and$43,568 (4 people). Income test is self-declaratory.For questions about eligibility and more information,including distribution sites and farmers’ markets thataccept the produce vouchers, call the PCA Helpline at215-765-9040 after July 1.The produce vouchers, made available through funds fromthe U.S. Department of Agriculture and the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Agriculture, will be distributed on a firstcome,first-served basis and must be used before November30, 2013. In 2012, more than 36,500 older Philadelphiansreceived free produce vouchers. This year, funding has beenincreased to allow the program to serve an additional 250older adults.According to Helen Cooke, PCA assistant director for healthand nutrition services, fruits and vegetables provide importantvitamins, minerals, and fiber that may help decrease the riskof chronic disease.First “Senior Strut” Health and Wellness Event Set for June 18 on Boathouse Row“We see this as an entertaining and fun way to promotethe health benefits of walking for older adults,” said JoanZaremba, PCA director of marketing and corporate relations.The event is a collaboration between PCA, the FairmountPark Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.The Mummers will help to kick off the "Senior Strut."Adults age 60+ are invited to join in the “Senior Strut,” aone-mile walk and health event that pairs two Philadelphiaicons: the Mummers and picturesque Boathouse Row.The “Senior Strut” will take place on Tuesday, June 18, startingat Lloyd Hall, 1 Boathouse Row on Kelly Drive. Walkerswill be outfitted with brightly colored t-shirts and pedometers,and will receive a musical sendoff on the one-mile loopwalk from members of a Mummers string band.“This event grew out of our joint efforts to encourage seniorsto visit city parks more often,” Zaremba said. “We hope thatthe 'Senior Strut' might spur older adults to join walkinggroups or perhaps to form walking groups of their own.”After the walk, participants will return to Lloyd Hall for a freehealth fair with health screenings, fitness activities, a healthysnack, giveaways and healthy cooking demonstrations usingsummer produce. Mike Quick, Eagles radio network sportsanalyst, and former Eagles wide receiver, will make a specialappearance.For information or to register, see the events calendar on theback page.SUMMER 2013 ISSUE update page 4
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