ABOUT RAICES

The Spanish Speaking Elderly Council-RAICES ("RAICES") is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization incorporated in New York State, and first developed as a volunteer advocacy senior citizen council in 1978 by retired Hispanic senior citizens who saw the need for an organization which would provide services, educate and organize the Latino, minority and low income aged.  One of the Council's major accomplishments was the development in 1985 of RAICES (Roots), a model program on how to reach and serve Hispanic older adults.  Through RAICES, the Council has been able to disseminate information on successful practices and techniques for serving the isolated, hard to reach, inner city, and impoverished elderly.  ContinueF

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Senior Ride to Market: A Healthy Eating Initiative
Published February 2009 Newsletter - New York City Department for the Aging
For the past several years school buses and their drivers have been taking senior center members on trips during the hours when kids are in school and the buses would otherwise be sitting idle. This arrangement between the Department of Education (DOE) and the Department for the Aging (DFTA) has provided hundreds of seniors with visits to museums, parks or other public places. Now DFTA and DOE have raised the program up a notch with MarketRide, an initiative focused specifically on providing seniors with trips via school bus to supermarkets and green markets where they can find fresh produce and healthful foods.

MarketRide was launched at the beginning of the school year, when roughly two dozen seniors from Raices Times Plaza Senior Center climbed aboard Bus 2261, which normally ferries students across Park Slope. The bus headed to Fairway on Atlantic Avenue in Red Hook, where the seniors loaded up on everything from apples to Caribbean cooking spices.

MarketRide addresses a goal of the Mayor's Age Friendly NYC Initiative. "The City wants to make it easier for seniors who live in neighborhoods where there are few supermarkets and limited access to fresh fruit or vegetables to obtain nutritious foods," said Commissioner Barrios-Paoli of DFTA. And there's an additional benefit. "It's like a little outing," said Carmen Senda, one of the riders, appreciatively, as she settled into a conversation with her seatmate.

MarketRide is now available to senior centers in all five boroughs. Seniors should contact their local senior center to inquire whether it is participating in the program.

Community Spotlight: The Red Hook Senior Center
Published Fall 2009 Newsletter - NYS Sen. Velmanette Montgomery, 18th District

RESOURCES:  | AARP | AgingWell | GuideStar | Hispanic Federation | News in Health | Notify NYC | NYC Dept. for  the Aging | NYC Dept. of Health and  Mental Hygiene | NYS Office for the Aging | NYS Office of Mental Health | PFG | SPP | Translator | USA.GOV (Senior Resources) |

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