Arlington, VA, January 4, 2016 – Meals on Wheels America President and CEO Ellie Hollander today issued the following statement regarding the National Commission on Hunger’s release of Freedom From Hunger: An Achievable Goal for the United States of America.

Today we commend the National Commission on Hunger, a congressionally appointed bipartisan commission, for their public service and leadership in releasing Freedom From Hunger: An Achievable Goal for the United States of America. We also applaud the nine Commissioners for their commitment to hearing from key stakeholders and individuals from across the country throughout this process and appreciate their continued commitment to provide bipartisan policy recommendations and innovative approaches to solving hunger and food insecurity in America.

Among other things, we are particularly pleased to see in this new report, the Commission’s recommendations to improve nutrition assistance options for people who are disabled or medically at risk, recognizing the evidence that Meals on Wheels improves health and quality of life for America’s most vulnerable older citizens. Ensuring that no senior in need struggles with hunger and isolation is not only an investment in our nation’s fiscal future, but it is also a preventative prescription for significantly reducing Medicare and Medicaid expenses.

On behalf of Meals on Wheels America, our Board of Directors, our Members, current Meals on Wheels recipients and the millions more who need to be served, we thank the Commission for allowing us the opportunity to provide testimony and submit comments about the unique nutritional and social needs of seniors, and ultimately, including recommendations to address the growing, grave and expensive, yet, solvable problem of senior hunger.

At a time in our nation’s history when both the need and demand for nutritious meals are already substantial and will continue to grow exponentially, it is critical that proven and effective programs serving our most vulnerable seniors are further strengthened. We are eager to work with Congress and the Administration to thoughtfully adopt and implement the Commission’s recommendations to further leverage the Meals on Wheels network—one of our nation’s most successful public-private partnerships. Ending hunger in America is not only within our reach, but it is a moral, social and economic imperative.