Harford County earns award for ‘Neighborhood Table’ program

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Harford County‘s Office on Aging was recently honored with an award from the National Association of Counties for The Neighborhood Table, a program supporting healthy, independent living for low-income senior citizens, the agency announced. 

Annually, NACo recognizes innovative and effective best practices that may inspire counties nationwide. This year, the Neighborhood Table program was recognized with an achievement award in NACO’s Innovation category.

According to a county government release, The Neighborhood Table is a food delivery program that addresses food insecurity and provides access to other resources for senior housing residents. 

“I would like to thank Klein’s ShopRite for partnering with us on The Neighborhood Table and congratulate our administrator, Karen Winkowski, and her creative Office on Aging team for developing this program to deliver nutritious food, resource connections, and much-needed socialization to seniors who are aging in place,” County Executive Bob Cassilly said.  

The Neighborhood Table is grant-funded and supplemented by modest contributions from participants who typically agree to participate in other health- and wellness-related programs and screenings. 

The program involves Office on Aging’s staff delivering food in grocery bags prepared under the guidance of a registered dietician. This process enables seniors to supplement their food budgets with the equivalent of six healthy meals per week, county officials said, also citing a survey indicating that food provided by The Neighborhood Table allowed customers “to stretch their grocery budget and eat healthier.”