Video: National Research Study Reveals Extent of Senior Hunger in America

Harrah's, Meals On Wheels Urge Corporate Response to Help Solve Problem

    LAS VEGAS, March 5 // -- Hunger is a serious threat facing million of seniors in the United States, according to a groundbreaking national research study underwritten by the Harrah's Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.

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    The study, released today by Harrah's and the Meals on Wheels Association Of America (MOWAA) Foundation, concludes that more than 5 million Americans -- 11.4 percent of all seniors -- face the threat of hunger. Seniors most likely to be at-risk are those with limited incomes, African Americans, Hispanics, the unmarried, renters, persons under age 70 and persons living in the South.

    "I challenge my colleagues in corporate America to join Harrah's by taking a leadership role in the Corporate Response to Senior Hunger program developed by Meals on Wheels," said Jan Jones, Harrah's senior vice president of communications and government affairs, in testimony prepared for the U.S. Senate's Special Committee on Aging.

    "Together, we can help by making food products more readily available to meal providers, encouraging improvements to the meal delivery system, offering skills and experience to meal providers and advocating for them before policymakers," she said.

    The study -- entitled "The Causes, Consequences and Future of Senior Hunger in America" -- was commissioned by MOWAA and conducted by James Ziliak, Ph.D., director of the Center for Poverty Research of the University of Kentucky and Craig Gundersen, Ph.D., of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University. They were assisted by Margaret Haist, Ph.D., senior researcher at the University of Kentucky.

    According to MOWAA, the study is the most comprehensive national research study to date to look at senior hunger in the United States.

    Since 2002, Harrah's has been the largest corporate sponsor of MOWAA, contributing $5 million and more than 30 meal-deliver trucks to MOWAA programs across the country. Harrah's underwrote the hunger study through the Harrah's Foundation as part of the company's Code of Commitment, which establishes the principals used by Harrah's in its relationships with its employees, customers and communities.

    "Seniors are a focus of our philanthropic giving because, frankly, the needs of our growing senior population have too often been ignored by corporate America," Jones told the Senate panel. "The Harrah's Foundation has focused on the needs of our seniors since its inception."

    "We are pleased that the MOWAA-commissioned research provides a better understanding of the extent of senior hunger," Jones said. "What excites us most is that it will help in the development and implementation of targeted, fact-based interventions that can increase the effectiveness of both private sector and public sector efforts to reduce senior hunger."

    The study found that:

    -- Poor seniors are more likely to be at risk, but half of all at-risk

     seniors have incomes above the federal poverty line;

    -- More than two-thirds of all hungry seniors are white.

    -- Being divorced, separated or never married is a risk factor; being

     married reduces risk by 20 percent.

    -- Seniors living with a grandchild are 50 percent more likely to be

     at-risk of hunger than those who don't.

    -- Seniors most at risk are in the 60-64 age group. An 84-year-old is more

     than one-third less likely to be at-risk of hunger than a 64-year-old.

    The Harrah's Foundation is a private nonprofit foundation established to provide financial support to qualified organizations in communities where Harrah's employees live and work. Created in 2002, the Harrah's Foundation is funded by Harrah's Entertainment properties and supports social reinvestment programs by funding eligible 501(c)(3) organizations dedicated to seniors, education and civic programs. Since its formation, the Harrah's Foundation has committed nearly $63 million to nonprofit organizations throughout the United States. More information is available at http://www.harrahscommunityrelations.com.

    Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, more than 70 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages casinos on four continents. The Company's properties operate primarily under the Harrah's(R), Caesars(R) and Horseshoe(R) brand names; Harrah's also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos and the World Series of Poker(R). Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. For more information, please visit http://www.harrahs.com.