Micah's Backpack &

Soup for Seniors

Micah's Backpack
Mission
o Pack Thursday, Deliver
Friday, Feed Saturday and
Sunday
2011-2012 school year
o 6,855 backpacks were
delivered making a total of
41,130 meals given to
students
What we did...
Set up each week
Packed backpacks
o Allergy bags
o Literature with Nutrition Activities
Organized/Counted Food Drive collections
Searched for grants
Micahs Soup for Seniors
Micah's Soup for Seniors
Micah's Caring Initiative
Goals:
Provide food and social contact for seniors living on
fixed incomes
Partnering with Warm Hearth
Food is delivered on the last Tuesday of each
month
o Social Security checks come at the beginning of
each month
Uses approximately same donations as Micah's
Backpack, but starting to become more
independent.
Target Population
Low income seniors residing in the independent
housing at Warm Hearth Village
US Census Bureau
o 16% of elderly live at or below the poverty line
In Virginia:
o 30% of seniors live at or below poverty line
Aging affects:
o Nutritional status
o Social/Psychological Status
Methods of Needs Assessment
Primary Data:
o Interviews with stakeholders
Executive Director: Diane Krallman
Pastor of St. Michael's: John Wertz
RD at Warm Hearth: Chanda Tracy
o Survey of local seniors
Diagnosed diseases
Conditions that may affecting eating ability
Secondary Data:
o Course textbooks
o CDC
Methods Continued
Types of questions asked:
o For stakeholders at St. Michael's:
What is your role in Soup for Seniors?
What is your main goal for this cause?
Identified needs for this target population
Types of food donations
Interest shown by church members
o For Registered Dietitian at Warm Hearth
Most common nutrient deficiencies
Typical foods you've noticed being avoided
Whether or not the seniors are able to perform basic
cooking skills
Secondary Data Findings
Common problems include:
o Vitamin D and B12 deficiencies
o Malnutrition
o Changes in taste and smell
o Decline in production of stomach acid
o Decline in physical function
Social Interaction can improve nutritional intake
All affect nutritional status
Chewing
Difficulty
9%
Special Diets
29%
Decreased sense of
taste
33%
Decreased sense of
smell
5%
Decreased appetite
24%
Other
0%
What types of eating difficulties have you
encountered?
Hypertension
29%
Diabetes
12%
Cancer
6%
Heart Disease
18%
Other
35%
Do you have any diagnosed diseases?
Would you like to cook some of the food you
receive?
Yes
71%
No
29%
Proposed Program
Senior Supper and Social Hour
Description
Goals:
o Increase nutritional knowledge and (hopefully)
intended behavior change
o Provide seniors with added social interaction to help
formrelationships
Work with the Blacksburg Farmers Market to help
provide fresh and local foods
Coordinate with Warm Hearth for maximum
benefits and participation
Promote program throughout the month with flyers
Methods
Once a month after Soup for Seniors
About an hour long
o 30 minute education
Various nutrients
Common nutrition-related diseases
o 20 minute cooking demonstration
Basic cooking skills
Making meals out of the items they receive in their bags
o 10 minutes + socialization
Recipe/story sharing
Meeting new people
Provide a handout of information with the recipe that was demonstrated
Methods Continued
Many interested volunteers at St. Michaels
Perform cooking demonstration
Nutrition Counseling Students
Perform the nutrition education portion
Human Development Students
Will be able to help with the social/psychological goals
Getting the seniors involved
Recipe sharing
Suggestion cards after each program to prepare for
next program
Expected Outcomes: Short Term
Increase in nutrition knowledge concerning food
choices and age-specific nutrient needs
Increase opportunities for social interaction
Increase in attendance to the program
Weight maintenance or gain
Expected Outcomes: 3 to 5 years
Improve the health and quality of life of target
population
Long lasting friendships
Decrease nutrition related diseases
o Decrease need for medication for nutrition related
diseases
Expected Outcomes: 5+ years
Decreased health care cost
for the New River Valley
Better quality of life
Increased life expectancy
Program expansion to other
facilities
Evaluation
Phone interview/survey with attendees
o After the 1st program
o Provide feedback and constructive criticisms
Phone interview/survey with non-attendees
o Why do they not attend?
o What could we do to promote their attendance?
Monitor attendance at each program
o Headcounts
Evaluate participation at each program
Limitations
Weren't able to meet with Warm Hearth residents
we were serving
Receive food donations, so hard to increase
nutritional quality of food
Had to find food that was shelf stable, and easy to
make/use
Small sample size for survey (14)
Acknowledgements
Jennie Hodge
Diane Krallman
Pastor John Wertz
Dr. Serrano
Angie Bailey
All volunteers at Micah's Backpack
Questions??