Research

Baby Boomers and Beyond: Facing Hunger after Fifty

"Baby Boomers and Beyond" reveals the circumstances of older clients including heightened vulnerability among pre-seniors not yet eligible for safety net programs.

In 2015, Feeding America, with support from the AARP Foundation, published Baby Boomer and Beyond: Facing Hunger After Fifty. This report highlights the circumstances of older adults age 50 and older who receive charitable food assistance through the Feeding America network of food banks. Dr. Craig Gunderson conducted the research using age-segmented data from the Hunger in America 2014 study. 

Key Findings

  • 13 million older adults age 50+ receive assistance from the Feeding America network annually
  • 81 percent of older adult client households are food insecure, with rates decreasing with age
  • 68 percent of older adult client households live in poverty based on their annual income
  • Nearly one in five older adult households (19%) contain a grandchild
  • Households with an older adult report facing the decision between paying for food and paying for:
    • Medicine or medical care (63%)
    • Utilities (60%)
    • Rent or mortgage (49%)
    • Transportation or gas for a car (58%)

  

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