To help support local senior citizens who are on a tight budget, Maspeth Self Help is hosting a free Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) sign-up clinic tomorrow at its 69-61 Grand Avenue location.

The event is being held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in cooperation with the Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City, Inc., (CSCS),  the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Foundation and the NYC Department for the Aging (DFTA).

According CSCS representative Denise Downing who works with the CSCS’s SNAP Outreach and Application Assistance Program, “Of the nearly 49 million American at risk of hunger, 9 million are seniors.”

“Many seniors choose to pay for other necessities like medicine or rent over food when the budget gets tight, but this does not need to be the case. Government food assistance is not being utilized by nearly half of all eligible seniors,” Downing said.

Seniors interested in signing up for SNAP, or just looking to find out more information about the program, can call the AARP hotline at 1-877-926-8300 (Mon.-Fri. 8am-10pm) to make an appointment.

Walk-ins will also be welcome.

Anyone who cannot make it to the sign-up event but would still like information or assistance can contact Elizabeth Levine at CSCS-SNAP Outreach Office at 347-815-5930 to find a time and place that is convenient for them.