With generous support from The Washington Home, the conference brought together key organizations to discuss strategies for addressing hunger among DC seniors
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Washington, D.C., May 18, 2026 – The Capital Area Food Bank on Friday hosted the 2026 Senior Hunger Conference, which brought together leaders of key organizations addressing food insecurity among older adults in D.C. to collaborate on how to ensure better access to nutritious food for seniors.
The gathering, as with the inaugural conference in 2024, was hosted on the campus of Gallaudet University with generous support from The Washington Home. The day-long event included an overview of data on how DC seniors are affected by food insecurity; testimonials from seniors on their lived experiences with hunger; and working groups convened to collaborate on ways to effectively and efficiently improve food access for older adults.
In addition to its support for the conference, The Washington Home also announced during the event that it will be providing an additional investment to the Capital Area Food Bank to expand food access for thousands of older adults throughout the District. The food bank is among 11 organizations that will receive $704,906 in support through The Washington Home’s Healthy Food Access Collaboration.
DC seniors experience one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the nation. Seniors often have limited income, making it difficult to afford food and other expenses like rent and medicine. They may not have access to transportation to grocery stores where they can access nutritious food, and they are more likely to have chronic health conditions that make cooking and grocery shopping difficult.
Panelists during the conference also discussed how the changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, and Medicaid approved last summer in the federal H.R. 1 legislation will impact seniors who rely on those programs.
The conference highlighted the importance of partnerships between food assistance organizations, healthcare providers, government agencies, and community advocates working toward shared solutions for older adults.
About the Capital Area Food Bank:
The Capital Area Food Bank works to address hunger today and create brighter futures tomorrow for more than a million people across the region experiencing food insecurity. As the anchor in the area’s hunger relief infrastructure, the food bank provided nearly 62 million meals to people in need last year by supplying food to hundreds of nonprofit organizations, including Martha’s Table, SOME – So Others Might Eat, DC Central Kitchen, Food for Others, Manna, and others. It also works in partnership with organizations across the region to address hunger’s root causes by pairing food with critical services such as education, health care, and job training. To learn more, visit https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/ or call (202.644.9864).
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