Budget Plan Food Insecurities among Senior Citizens

Budget for a Two-Year Campaign ($500,000) to Reduce Food Insecurities among Senior Citizens 60 Years and Up in Birmingham

Goal 1: Raising Awareness on the Issue of Food Insecurities among Senior Citizens

The project will organize quarterly awareness-raising campaigns running for a week that will focus on sensitizing the Birmingham community on the issue of food insecurity facing the elderly.

Public Service Announcement: The campaign will involve a 60-second radio and television public service announcement outlining the extent of the problem and inviting community members to be part of the campaign. The projected costs for each ad is $5,000 a week as the ads will air at strategic times, such as in the middle of news broadcasts to get the attention of more senior citizens. There will be eight awareness-raising campaigns for the two years, translating to a total cost of $40,000 on radio and television ads.

Community Sensitization Meetings: Throughout the campaign week, the organization will hold daily one-hour meetings with senior citizens and their caregivers in selected churches and senior centres to sensitize them on the food insecurity issues they face. Participants will also be educated on available government resources for senior citizens, such as Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), Congregate Nutrition Services, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and Home-Delivered Nutrition Services (DeSilva & Anderson-Villaluz, 2021). The meetings are expected to cost $5,000 every week, translating to a total cost of $40,000 for all eight sensitization campaigns in the two years.

Production of Campaign Banners, Fliers, and Posters: 20 banners will be produced at a cost of $200 each, translating to a total cost of $4,000. The banners will be displayed at strategic places within the city, including in the participating churches and senior centres. The banners will include key statistics on the food insecurity problem and invite senior citizens and their caregivers to the sensitization meetings. Fliers and posters educating senior citizens and their families about the food security problem, eligibility requirements for SNAP and CSFP, how to enrol for such initiatives, and benefits of enrolling will be produced at a cost of $150 for each of the eight campaigns, which translates to a total cost of $1,200. These will be availed at the venues of meetings, and also at the entrance of popular malls, grocery stores, supercentres, hospitals, and other areas where senior citizens frequent.

Giveaways: As part of the awareness campaign, participants will receive wristbands, water bottles, t-shirts, and calendars containing educational messages on promoting food security for seniors. The cost of producing the giveaways is projected to be $5,000 for each campaign, translating to a total cost of $40,000 for the two years.

Goal 2: Persuading the Audience to Adopt Health-Promoting Behaviours

Biannual Television Documentary: Every six months, the organization will produce a 30-minute television documentary outlining the extent of the food insecurity problem among seniors, outlining the steps made in addressing the issue, and educating senior citizens on the available initiatives such as SNAP and how to enrol. The documentary will educate on the eligibility requirements and benefits of enrolling for such programs, including first-hand testimonies from participants, as a way of promoting good nutrition. The cost of producing each documentary is estimated at $200 per minute, which translates to approximately $6,000 for a 30-minute documentary, and a total cost of $24,000 given that two documentaries will be produced each year.

Meals-on-Wheels Program for Discharged Patients: To promote healthy eating habits for seniors after hospital discharges, the organization will initiate a meals-on-wheels program in partnership with local hospitals and healthcare facilities. The hospitals will carry out screenings to identify senior patients at-risk of malnutrition upon discharge, and will refer these cases to our organization for improved malnutrition care. Our nutritionists and social workers will provide ten free meals to nutritionally at-risk patients immediately after discharge. During this time, the staff will help the senior enrol for other long-term supports such as SNAP, CSFP, and meals-on-wheels programs if they are not already enrolled. The start-up meals-on-wheels program for discharged at-risk seniors will cost approximately $7 per meal, which translates to approximately $70 per senior for ten meals, and a total cost of $14,000 assuming 200 seniors benefit.

Mobile Food Pantry: To encourage seniors with mobility issues to increase their intake of fresh vegetables and fruits, the organization will begin a mobile food pantry that will distribute fresh fruits and vegetables. Using a donated bus, the pantry will distribute food to the doorsteps of certain special cases of seniors who live alone and are unable to walk long distances to get fresh food. At the same time, once every week, the pantry will be parked at specific strategic locations within food desert areas that are easily accessible to seniors. The fresh food will be sold at discounted prices to seniors and their caregivers. The monthly cost of food supplies for the mobile pantry program is estimated at $3,500 assuming that 50 seniors benefit from a week’s supply of fresh fruits and vegetables every week. This translates to a total cost of $84,000 ($3,500 x 24 months).

Food Pharmacies: To address poor eating habits and under nutrition among citizens capable of shopping for themselves, the program will establish three food pharmacy within three senior centres located in easily-accessible areas. The food pharmacies will offer free cooking advice and nutrition classes every week, as well as weekly healthy food at a highly subsidized fee. The pharmacy staff, including nutritionists and dieticians, will offer training on how to properly store food and how to ensure a healthy diet with limited budgets. As no rental or leasing costs will be involved, the total cost of running the three food pharmacy is estimated at $45,000 per year, translating to a total cost of $90,000 for two years.

Community Gardens: To promote consumption of healthy food, the organization will establish community gardens in five senior centres as a means to support local farmers, while increasing seniors’ access to healthy food options. The produce from the community garden will partly be used to support the meals-on-wheels and food pantry programs. Some of the produce will also be used in the centres’ kitchens, as well as in the food pharmacies. Willing seniors will be engaged in farming, and could use the skills learned to establish small kitchen gardens back at home. The annual cost of establishing and running a single community garden is estimated at $10,000, leading to a total cost of $100,000 ($10,000 x 5 x 2 years).

Workshops: Sometimes, food insecurity is a result of food waste resulting from poor storage and planning of meals, which leads one to overbuy or prepare too much food. Every two months, the organization will organize a workshop for senior citizens and their families to receive education on strategies for minimizing plate waste. They will be trained on how to use the EPA’s Food Waste Management Cost Calculator, how to effectively estimate portion sizes, and how to use mobile apps to plan meals around perishables as a means to minimize wastage (Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, 2019). Seniors raising grandchildren will also be educated on services available for them, such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), where they could obtain cash assistance to meet basic needs. The workshops will cost an approximated $2,000 in facilitator fees, supplies purchase, and venue costs. This translates to a total cost of $24,000 ($2,000 x12).

Human Resource and Administrative Costs

The campaign will employ two full-time staff, a project coordinator and finance and administration manager. The coordinator will dedicate 100 percent of their time to the campaign at a cost of $1,000 per month, leading to a total cost of $12,000 per year. The finance manager will dedicate 50 percent of their time at a cost of $333 per month, leading to a total cost of $4,000 per year. A web designer will be engaged on a contractual basis to update and maintain the campaign website at a cost of $500 per year. The project foresees that the foundation will conduct at least one monitoring visit every year. The logistical costs to facilitate the visit are projected at $400 per year.

A summary of the campaign budget is presented as table 1 below:

Table 1: Campaign Budget Summary

Budget Item

Year 1 Budget ($)

Year 2 Budget

Total Budget

60-second radio and television public service announcement to create awareness on food insecurity

20,000

20,000

40,000

Community Sensitization meetings (venue costs, facilitator fees)

20,000

20,000

40,000

Production of 20 Campaign Banners

4,000

0

4,000

Production of sensitization fliers and posters

600

600

1,200

Giveaways

20,000

20,000

40,000

Production of biannual television documentary to educate the community on food insecurity and prevention strategies

12,000

12,000

24,000

Supplies for Meals-on-Wheels Program for Discharged Patients

7,000

7,000

14,000

Fuel and food supplies for the mobile food pantry program

42,000

42,000

84,000

Establishment and running of food pharmacies (supplies, overheads)

45,000

45,000

90,000

Establishment of community gardens at senior centres

50,000

50,000

100,000

Facilitator fees, material costs, and venue expenses for workshops involving seniors and their families

12,000

12,000

24,000

Human Resource Costs (Project Coordinator, Finance and Administration Manager, Web Designer)

16,500

16,500

33,000

Administrative Costs (office expenses, website maintenance, telephone, internet subscriptions, bank charges)

2,500

2,500

5,000

Monitoring and Evaluation

400

400

800

Total Cost

$252,000

$248,000

$500,000

Table 2 below presents the timeline of activities for the two years of the campaign and the projected dates of implementation