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ARC Mini Grants Have an Outsized Impact on Food Insecurity Among Older Adults

Posted on: May 29, 2025

This spring, about 100 older adults considered at risk of going hungry visited the Austell Senior Center in West Cobb County to pick up boxes of food: fresh produce, eggs, dairy, frozen items, and much more.

But they received more than just groceries. They found relief, gratitude, and a quiet but powerful act of care.

The Senior Center’s “Market Day” was made possible by a $2,500 mini-grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission that was matched by Cobb County. The mini-grant was one of six awarded to senior services providers and nonprofits across metro Atlanta this year to address food insecurity among older adults.

“We know that older adults on a fixed income often struggle to make ends meet. That’s why efforts like the Austell Senior Center Market Day are so important. They serve as a lifeline for older adults,” said Becky A. Kurtz, Senior Managing Director of ARC’s Aging & Independence Services, and Director, Area Agency on Aging.

The grants are part of ARC’S Senior Hunger Coalition, which helps older adults access the nutritious food they need to live independently and with dignity. The grants utilized federal pandemic recovery funds.

Here’s how the other grant recipients are making a difference:

• Feeding GA Families proposed to address transportation barriers by delivering groceries and meals using volunteer drivers and services like Instacart and Uber.
• Jewish Family and Career Services of Atlanta proposed to expand access to specialized dietary foods and home deliveries through its Project Dash partnership.
• Project GRANDD proposed to provide fresh groceries to low-income seniors raising grandchildren, family units that often face heightened food insecurity.
• Peachtree Christian Health proposed to offset rising food costs to continue offering nutritious lunches to seniors with disabilities.
• South Fulton Senior Services proposed to deliver food assistance to older adults facing financial hardship, especially in areas with lower life expectancy south of Atlanta.

This support comes at a critical time. Nearly 1 in 12 Georgians over age 60 face food insecurity, often choosing between groceries, medicine, or housing.

Cobb County Senior Services addresses this with home-delivered meals, mobile markets, and senior center congregate lunches, delivering over 62,000 meals in 2024 alone. They also provide transportation, in-home care, and support through an innovative Assistive Technology Lab that helps older adults live independently.

“The Atlanta Regional Commission’s support of our Senior Services meal delivery programs is both appreciated and essential,” said Lisa Cupid, Chair of the Cobb County Commission. “This grant helps the department continue to expand programs that serve one of our county’s most vulnerable populations.”

In Cobb County, the ARC grant and local match enabled the county to serve families in parts of Austell and Mableton, specifically within ZIP codes 30106 and 30126, which have the lowest life expectancy in the county. According to Angelica Swafford, nutrition manager at Cobb Senior Services, ARC’s flexibility allowed them to reach seniors who don’t qualify for traditional services.

“When we learned our previous Mobile Market sponsor wouldn’t renew the grant in 2025, we were concerned,” Swafford said. “ARC’s mini grant gave us a way to keep providing groceries to older adults in our most underserved communities.”

If you or someone you know is in need of aging-related support services, ARC’s Empowerline is a trusted hub connecting older adults, caregivers, and people with disabilities to transportation, housing, and wellness resources.