• Gift Catalog
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships:
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs:
      • Appalachia – West Virginia
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Rosebud Reservation – South Dakota
      • Española – New Mexico
  • Projects
  • Give
    • Giving Options:
      • Donate Now
      • Gift Catalog
      • Ways to Give
      • Philanthropy
  • Impact
  • Blog
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Impact Stories Montana

Food Insecurity & Seniors in Montana

Food insecurity may sound like an issue for developing countries, but it actually affects most of the population on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, especially seniors. This is the story of how Global Volunteers working alongside the community is fighting food insecurity and caring for seniors.


Ensuring every household has enough to eat is an important part of Global Volunteers’ programming. Food insecurity, or family’s inability to access the right food at the right time to be happy and healthy, can be found in many of the communities where we work. In the United States, over 40 million people struggle to put food on the table. Nationally, the food insecurity rate is 12.5%, but on the Blackfeet Reservation, the rate is much worse: According to the Blackfeet Tribal Health Department’s community health assessment of 2017, 69% of people on the reservation have issues with food insecurity.

Volunteers help deliver meals to home-bound elders on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
Volunteers help deliver meals to home-bound elders on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

Unfortunately, food insecurity can disproportionately affect senior citizens in this community for several reasons. One reason is that 23.9% of people aged 65 years and older on the Reservation are living below the poverty line. Many do not work or have very low incomes, and this makes affording food difficult. Additionally, other life costs such as housing, healthcare, and basic services can be higher for elder populations, leaving less in the budget for food costs.

volunteer Karyn Hidden at Care Center for elderly blackfeet reservation montana
Volunteer Karyn Hidden cares for the elderly at the Care Center on the Blackfeet Reservation.

In the town of Browning, which is the Tribal Seat of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, there are several programs that recognize this issue and provide hunger relief efforts specifically targeting an aging population. Global Volunteers supports them all. First, the Eagle Shield Senior Center, which provides enrichment activities and care for the elders of the Blackfeet Nation, serves a meal to its patrons Monday through Friday over the lunch hour. These meals are part of a federally-funded program through the USDA, and Global Volunteers helps to lend a hand by prepping food, serving meals, cleaning, and visiting with guests. Additionally, the Senior Center began a “Meals On Wheels” program about 10 years ago, which delivers pre-made meals to approximately 100 seniors each day. Volunteers enjoy the opportunity to ride along in the van and interact with some of the meals-on-wheels recipients, who are generally at a greater risk of food insecurity because they are homebound.

Finally, the Blackfeet Food Bank provides another resource for seniors facing food insecurity. This Food Bank receives donations of food from three partner organizations and serves anyone living on the Reservation. A local organization, FAST Blackfeet (Food Access and Sustainability Team), recently interviewed the Food Bank’s Director for a report on the state of food insecurity on the Reservation, and she said that although Food Bank patrons are asked to visit once monthly, there are many families coming daily and food shipments often run out.

Providing companionship and stimulation to Blackfeet elders is an on-going service project on the reservation in Montana.
Providing companionship and stimulation to Blackfeet elders is an on-going service project on the reservation in Montana.

The need is great, and volunteers help to restock shelves, organize deliveries, or update inventory to ensure the Food Bank can service all of its patrons. Last year, Global Volunteers conducted 13 service programs on the Blackfeet Reservation. Each program worked to help increase senior community members’ access to food in some way. Together, 79 volunteers helped out at the Eagle Shield Senior Citizen Center, Meals on Wheels, or the Food Bank, and although volunteers enjoy their time, they also find addressing the problems of food insecurity to be “eye-opening” and even “emotional” during their tenure.

Global Volunteers has scheduled 27 more service programs in 2019 and 2020, and will continue to serve those in need of food resources, especially the senior population for years to come.


You may also like:

Global Volunteers’ 20-Year Partnership with The Blackfeet Nation of Montana

Share this:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
August 5, 2019/0 Comments/by Ruth Curran
https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/At-the-Blackfeet-Reservation-montana-69-of-people-have-issues-with-food-insecurity.jpg 1125 1500 Ruth Curran https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Ruth Curran2019-08-05 09:45:312020-06-10 17:23:00Food Insecurity & Seniors in Montana
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

You must log in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Partner Communities

  • China 66
  • Cook Islands 44
  • Cuba 117
  • Ecuador 88
  • Greece 68
  • Italy 54
  • Montana 42
  • Nepal 16
  • Peru 98
  • Poland 77
  • Portugal 42
  • South Dakota 8
  • St Lucia 57
  • Tanzania 142
  • Vietnam 43
  • West Virginia 24

Categories

  • Boomer Volunteers
  • Conversational English
  • Couples Volunteering
  • Culture and Traditions Worldwide
  • Development Impact
  • Family Volunteers
  • Free Time Options
  • Global Volunteers
  • Group Volunteering
  • Impact Stories
  • Individuals on Teams
  • Projects for Professionals
  • Reaching Children's Potential
  • Repeat Volunteers
  • Retiree Volunteers
  • Staff Worldwide
  • Student Volunteers
  • Uncategorized
  • Volunteer Voices
  • Women volunteers

Tags

alumni volunteers American Indian culture Appalachian culture best destination peru Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English cook islands economy covid-19 covid-19 consequences Cuba people-to-people donate for children Earthbox gardens economic support Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects lgbt program peru resume resume high shcool retiree service-learning share food Spring break summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader things to do peru top places to visit peru tourism cook islands tours peru travel peru volunteer benefits Volunteer impact work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering

  • About Us
  • Boards of Directors and Advisors
  • US and International Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • News/Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Subscribe receive notifications of new posts and updates by email.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is an apolitical, non-sectarian, non-profit (501C-3) tax-exempt organization.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Her Supporters Pay it Forward with Donations to St. Lucia Service Program Alumni Fundraising for Change: A Story of Two Committed Volunteers
Scroll to top
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.