Castro County Judge Mandy Gfeller signed a proclamation declaring April as Senior Hunger Awareness Month.
The overall food insecurity rate for Castro County is 11.2 percent, according to Feed America, with insecure seniors having a lower nutrient intake, lower diet quality, more chronic health conditions, poorer selfreported health status, longer hospital stays and hospital readmissions, cost-related medication non-adherence and out-ofpocket medical expenses.
According to the proclamation, there are approximately 144 residents of Castro County over the age of 65 who are experiencing food insecurity and unable to increase their income to cover cost of living increases.
Judge Gfeller urges every resident to recognize the challenges that many older adults face in regard to hunger and food insecurity and do what they can to address the issues, both physical and economic, to help provide access to meet their dietary needs.