TYLER-The U.S.D.A.under secretary was at the East Texas Food Bank Friday to kick off a new program.

It's called "Senior Servings." The East Texas Food Bank says there is about four thousand older adults in East Texas living in poverty and one in seven are malnourished. That's why they partnered with the Junior League of Tyler and Meals on Wheels to help.

This new service will help seniors who receive free meals throughout the week but go hungry over the weekend.

Under Secretary Nancy Montanez Johner said, " proper nutrition is very important especially for our elderly population because a lot of them are on medication and so you need to have food before you take certain medication otherwise that could cause a problem."

Johner also said this program will be a model for the country.

Seniors who participate in the program will receive easy to prepare food on the weekends. 150 seniors have already signed up to receive the weekend meals.