Feeding America this 2023 released The State of Senior Hunger in America in 2021, a study about seniors facing hunger in the United States. The report sheds light on the extent to which food insecurity – or having limited access to enough food to live a healthy lifestyle – affects individuals aged 60 and older. The report shows that out of 78 million seniors aged 60 or older in the United States, 5.5 million were food insecure in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available.

Food insecurity among seniors did not change significantly between 2020 and 2021, going from 6.8% to 7.1%. However, consistent with the overall population, seniors of color experience food insecurity at disproportionately higher rates compared to their white counterparts as well as the overall food insecure population. In 2021, Black seniors were 3.8 times as likely and Latino seniors were 3 times as likely to experience food insecurity compared to white seniors, compared to 2.9 times and 2.5 times respectively for the overall food insecure population. While the study does not include separate food insecurity estimates for other racial and ethnic groups, it has been shown through other analyses that individuals who identify as Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and some Asian subgroups also have disproportionately high rates of food insecurity.

"If we as a country decide once and for all to end food insecurity in this country, think of what that would mean for our senior neighbors facing hunger," said Tom Summerfelt, Chief Research Officer at Feeding America. "Food insecurity is so closely tied to health, which becomes especially critical as we age. Also, medical expenses are a key driver of food insecurity, particularly in our elders. Food can work as medicine. Addressing food insecurity among seniors would help reduce chronic health conditions and could result in healthier communities overall."

The State of Senior Hunger in America in 2021 also found that seniors in multigenerational households experience food insecurity at higher rates. While there are many positive benefits to this type of household structure, in 2021, food insecurity was 2.2 times as high for seniors residing with a grandchild (15.0% vs. 6.8%) and 1.7 times as high for older adults residing with a grandchild (15.4% vs. 9.1%). From a previous Feeding America report last year, a family with lived experience shared, "I am a senior citizen raising two toddlers and do not qualify for any help; my situation falls through the cracks of what society lists as qualified recipients."

Summerfelt added, "As Congress deliberates on the 2023 Farm Bill, I urge them to think about our parents and grandparents who might not have the resources to put enough food on the table. We urge members of Congress to help ensure people, including our seniors, have access to the nutritious food they need by strengthening federal nutrition programs, such as The Emergency Food Assistance Program and SNAP, in the 2023 Farm Bill."

The State of Senior Hunger in America in 2021 estimates food insecurity among seniors in 2021 at the national level and provides rates of senior hunger in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and for 51 large metropolitan areas.

Among the key findings:

- Seniors experiencing food insecurity live in communities across the country, including all 50 states and Washington, D.C. In 2021, senior food insecurity rates at the state level ranged from 2.8% in North Dakota to 13.4% in Louisiana.

- Nine of the ten states with the highest rates of senior food insecurity were located in the South.

- Senior food insecurity in metro areas varied from 2.0% in the Rochester, New York metro area to 13.8% in the New Orleans, Louisiana metro area.

Food insecurity has negative effects for individuals across their lifespan. For seniors, these effects can be particularly problematic given the unique health, economic, and nutritional challenges that can come with aging. The State of Senior Hunger in 2021 also finds that food insecurity disproportionately affects seniors in certain socioeconomic groups. Specifically, in 2021, researchers found:

- Seniors with disabilities (13.4%) had food insecurity rates over twice as high as seniors without disabilities (5.0%).

- An estimated six in ten (57.4%) seniors experiencing food insecurity were female.

- Seniors who live with grandchildren were more likely to be food insecure than seniors who do not (15.0% compared to 6.8%).

- Seniors with relatively higher incomes still struggle to get enough nutritious food. More than half (59.1%) of seniors experiencing food insecurity who reported income had income above the federal poverty line, and a majority were either retired (50.6%) or disabled (28.5%), while only 2.8% were unemployed.

- Seniors who are renters (17.1%) were more than three times more likely to be food insecure than seniors who are homeowners (5.0%).

For the seventh consecutive year, The State of Senior Hunger in America was produced by Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief charity with a nationwide network of 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs. The study was conducted by researchers Dr. James P. Ziliak and Dr. Craig Gundersen and is the source for national, state and metro-level information about food insecurity and very low food security among seniors aged 60 and older. An additional report highlighting food insecurity among individuals aged 50-59 was also released as part of The State of Senior Hunger in America report series. The full reports can be found here.

The 2021 rate of food insecurity among seniors remained higher than the pre-Great Recession rate in 2007 of 6.3%. Since it is estimated that the senior population will grow to 104 million by 2050, if the current rate of senior food insecurity does not improve, then more than 7 million seniors could be food insecure.

The study was funded by the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation through its Fill Your Tank program, a multi-year initiative launched in 2016 to address food insecurity in communities around the world. Enterprise's commitment to Feeding America supports senior hunger and child hunger initiatives in communities across the United States.

Subaru of America, Inc. today announced that the automaker and its retailers have diverted more than eight million pieces of hard-to-recycle trash from landfills across the country through its Subaru Loves the Earth initiative. During Subaru Loves the Earth month in April, and throughout the year, the automaker works with global waste management leader TerraCycle® to offer recycling solutions at over 600 participating Subaru retailer locations nationwide to help transform trash into products that benefit their communities.

"It's up to all of us to make the world a more sustainable place, and together with our retailers, we're committed to keeping our environment beautiful and clean now and in the future," said Alan Bethke, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Subaru of America, Inc. "We invite everyone in our communities to join our nationwide recycling effort this April and look for opportunities to recycle with their local, participating Subaru retailer."

Through the Subaru Loves the Earth program, 629 participating Subaru retailers feature TerraCycle Zero Waste Boxes™ that are used to collect both store-generated trash from customers and employees, and at select locations, trash that is generated by community-members and brought to participating retailers to be recycled. Items collected include disposable cups, lids, straws, snack wrappers, and single-use coffee capsules. When boxes are full, they are returned to TerraCycle where the trash is recycled and used to create new items such as benches, picnic tables, playground materials and more. These items are then donated to local organizations throughout the nation.

Additionally, to make service appointments more sustainable, several Subaru retailers also work with TerraCycle to offer service lane recycling, where worn-out vehicle parts such as plastic vehicle waste and cabin air filters are also recycled.

To learn more about the recycling opportunities available through the automaker's partnership with TerraCycle and find participating retailers, visit the Subaru Free Recycling Program. To learn more about Subaru Loves the Earth and the work Subaru does to protect and preserve the environment, visit Subaru.com/earth. Follow #SubaruLovesTheEarth on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to learn more and see this initiative in action.

About Subaru of America, Inc. 

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company's vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $300 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged nearly 88,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do.  

About TerraCycle

TerraCycle is an international leader in innovative sustainability solutions, creating and operating first-of-their-kind platforms in recycling, recycled materials, and reuse. Across 21 countries, TerraCycle is on a mission to rethink waste and develop practical solutions for today's complex waste challenges. The company engages an expansive multi-stakeholder community across a wide range of accessible programs, from Fortune 500 companies to schools and individuals, and has raised over $44 million for schools and nonprofits since its founding more than 15 years ago. To learn more about TerraCycle and join them on their journey to move the world from a linear economy to a circular one, please visit www.terracycle.com.

Northwestern Mutual today celebrated more than 130 of its advisors – a company record – who earned a ranking on Forbes' Top Wealth Advisors "Best-In-State" list. "In this time of bank sector volatility, inflation and potential recession, Americans are turning to our advisors to achieve financial security with wealth management and planning insights that are built just for them," said Aditi Javeri Gokhale, Northwestern Mutual's chief strategy officer, president of retail investments and head of institutional investments. "Our wealth management business is one of the fastest growing in the industry – thanks to the efforts of our trusted advisors and their teams. Their results on behalf of clients are exceptional and a testament to our unrivaled holistic approach – helping people protect the wealth they've built while creating generational prosperity."

Forbes receives more than 30,000 advisor applicants annually, and only a small percentage are named among the best wealth advisors in their state. Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors are nominated by their firms and undergo a series of comprehensive interviews, questionnaires and vetting by SHOOK Research. SHOOK considers a variety of qualitative and quantitative metrics when evaluating nominees, including industry experience, compliance records, revenue produced and assets under management.

"Right now, more Americans than ever are open to speaking with an advisor, and these honorees are stepping up to serve this need by providing trusted advice that helps people plan and act with confidence," said Tim Gerend, Northwestern Mutual's chief distribution officer. "Our advisors' expertise, empathy and personalized financial planning is helping millions pave a path to greater financial security and less anxiety."

These Northwestern Mutual advisors – and thousands more nationwide – not only deliver outstanding service to their clients, but were also the driving force for the company's outstanding 2022 business results. In February, Northwestern Mutual announced a record number of total clients (more than five million), full-time financial professionals (nearly 8,000), revenue ($35 billion), surplus ($37 billion) and permanent life insurance sales. Additionally, in 2022 Northwestern Mutual Investment Services was ranked the sixth largest independent broker-dealer by total revenue by InvestmentNews and the seventh largest by Financial Advisor.

Northwestern Mutual is a leading provider of wealth management and investment solutions – with a growing number of clients turning to the company's financial advisors to help them protect and grow their wealth. The company's broad range of investment options, combined with its industry-leading risk protection solutions, gives clients the ability to achieve better long-term financial outcomes.

Forbes recognizes the top wealth advisors in America based on a set of qualitative and quantitative criteria, including in-person interviews, best practices, service and investing models, compliance records, revenue trends and assets under management. All advisors have a minimum of seven years' experience. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor their research partner – SHOOK – receive a fee in exchange for rankings. Rankings and recognitions are no guarantee of future investment success.

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With more than $558 billion of total assets being managed across the company's institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, nearly $35 billion in revenues, and $2.2 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 97 on the 2022 FORTUNE 500.

Direct Communication Solutions, Inc, a leading provider of information technology solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) market, today announced that it expects to uplist to the NYSE American and its common stock will trade on the NYSE American under the ticker "DCSX" on or around February 15, 2023, subject to pricing and the following conditions. The uplisting is subject to meeting all NYSE American LLC (the "NYSE American") requirements at the time of listing and the Securities and Exchange Commission declaring effective DCS' registration statement on Form S-1 for its previously announced underwritten public offering (the "Offering"). A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective.

DCS has applied to the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") to make effective the reverse split/consolidation of shares of its common stock on seven (7) old common shares for one (1) new common share (7:1 share consolidation) after the market close on Thursday, February 9, 2023.

This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Direct Communication Solutions, Inc.

DCSI is a technology solutions integrator focusing on connecting the Internet of Things. We provide real solutions that solve real problems. Our software applications and scalable cloud services collect and assess business-critical data from all types of assets. DCSI is headquartered in San Diego, California and is publicly traded on the OTCQX ("DCSX"), Canadian Securities Exchange ("DCSI") and Frankfurt Stock Exchange ("7QU"). For more information, visit www.dcsbusiness.com. DCSI and the DCSI logo are among the trademarks of DCSI in the United States. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.