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Putnam providers warn seniors and families face growing food insecurity; lawmakers propose county hunger coalition
Summary
County legislators convened providers May 13 to hear widespread accounts of rising food‑insecurity across Putnam County, confusion over a $150,000 county line item intended for food assistance, and calls for coordinated cold‑storage, mobile distribution and faster contracting; Chairwoman Nancy Montgomery proposed a county Hunger and Food Access Coalition.
Putnam County legislators and dozens of local providers on May 13 detailed growing demand for emergency food assistance and transportation barriers that limit access — particularly for seniors and residents on the county's west side.
"For individuals on the western side of the county, they feel that their resources are difficult to get to," Sarah Servideo, Putnam County commissioner of social services, told the Social/Educational/Environmental Committee, citing denied SNAP renewals and a small county pantry that cannot meet the current gap. "Our senior and disabled residents often get denied SNAP benefits because of excess income, or they get the minimum in SNAP."
Local providers described how interruptions to federal programs and recent changes — including the suspension of a Meals on Main route — have pushed more people to pantries and meal programs. "Transportation is one of the big barriers," said Martha Elder of Second Chance…
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