Tivity Health Delivers More than 170,000 Meals to Older Adults

Nashville, TN/PRNewswire—Tivity Health^® announced today that it has delivered more than 170,000 meals to seniors impacted by COVID-19 through its partnership with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) and the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP). The partnership connects members of n4a and NANASP with Nutrisystem^®, South Beach Diet^® and Wisely Well™ options for healthy, frozen and shelf-stable meals.
Members of n4a and NANASP represent more than 15,000 programs that service more than 11 million seniors annually. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, millions of seniors have not been able to participate in congregate meal programs due to shelter-in-place and physical distancing guidelines. Many of these programs have reported significant increases in demand. Meals on Wheels reports that it is currently serving 47% more seniors than on March 1.
“We are proud to be able to serve as a resource for community agencies during this challenging time,” said Richard Ashworth, President and CEO, Tivity Health. “We are committed to addressing food insecurity for seniors. One way we can help our seniors to have access to nutritious food is by offering these discounted bundles to the aging network that connects daily with America’s seniors.”
During the COVID-19 crisis, community agencies can access emergency funding under the Families First Act and the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) to meet the increased demand for meals for seniors. Through the partnership with n4a and NANASP, Tivity Health has become a new, reliable source of meals that members can access to meet both emergency and ongoing meal needs.
“NANASP entered this partnership to provide our members with a new and additional option for meals to serve their older adults during this pandemic,” said Bob Blancato, Executive Director, NANASP. “This has been achieved and we are grateful for Tivity and pleased at the response from those of our members who placed orders from them. As we all know there is no playbook for the times we are in, but one thing is essential, having an adequate food supply to meet dramatic growth in demand. Partnerships of this nature are important in helping to curb rising rates of food insecurity among older adults.”
Even before the pandemic, one in seven adults between the ages of 50 and 80 reported difficulty getting enough food because of cost or other issues. Through this partnership, Tivity Health is providing access to a wide range of bundled meal options from its Nutrisystem, South Beach Diet and Wisely Well menus, and is expediting delivery to agencies serving seniors with food insecurity.
“Our members have told us that one of their largest areas of concern during the pandemic is for older adults who are not able to access meals,” said Sandy Markwood, CEO, n4a. “At this critical time, we are glad to have a partner in Tivity Health that can help ensure that critical needs of older adults are met.”
Nutrisystem offers more than 160 nutritionally balanced, fully prepped menu choices, while South Beach Diet offers low carb, high protein meals and snacks. Wisely Well pre-packaged meals are designed to support the nutrition needs of seniors and include options specially formulated for those with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.