I was never someone who was afraid to work.
I
got my first job at 18, running a cash register at a department store
in Chicago. Back then, we had to tally all the sales by hand, rechecking
each night to see how much we’d sold.
Since
then, I’ve worked for the IRS, at a local hospital and at a Post
Office. For several years, I drove a school bus in Crestwood, Ill. No
matter what I did though, I couldn’t quite manage to make ends meet and
save for retirement. Sure, I saved what I could. But most of my income
went toward buying a house and keeping food on my table.
So
when I retired at 74, though I’d worked for 56 years, I didn’t have the
income I needed to buy food. After all, seniors have lots of expenses.
Though I moved into a one-bedroom apartment, my only income was $853 a
month in Social Security. After paying rent ($527 per month), utilities
(roughly $100 per month) and medical bills (at minimum $104.90 for
Medicare Part B Premium), I was lucky to be left with about $100 for all
other expenses, including food and transportation.
I
had so little left over each month that I never bought clothes or went
out for dinner. For a while, I even sold Avon make-up to make a little
extra money. Still, I couldn’t afford a diet of healthy, nutritious
meals. At the grocery store, I would skip the fresh fruit and vegetable
aisle — to me, produce was a luxury. Instead I would buy bread, milk,
eggs, beans, rice and chicken, just the basics when I could.
I
had always worked and taken care of my bills; I’d never had to ask for
help before. But when I saw the SNAP flyer from AgeOptions, my local
Area Agency on Aging, I knew that I would qualify and decided to make
the call. I had never heard of this program before, but I thought
signing up for benefits would help me make my ends meet each month. The
money I spent on food could now be spent toward other bills, such as my
light bill, phone bill or even toward rent.
And
I’m so glad I did. I remember the first time I went grocery shopping
with my food stamps. I filled my cart with chicken, beef, eggs, milk,
coffee, bacon, oatmeal, apples, bananas, orange juice, strawberries and
grapes. I went home and stocked my freezer with the extra meat that I
was now able to afford. That first month, I cooked a roasted chicken
with dressing. I made spaghetti and meatballs. I bought fresh fish, not
just canned tuna.
Eating
better improved my health. I suffer from hypertension, but that’s been
lowered now. I’m able to maintain a healthy weight. My skin and hair
look better.
I know I’m not alone. One in six seniors faces the threat of hunger, according to the State of Senior Hunger in America.
In the last 15 years, the number of seniors suffering from hunger
jumped by 45 percent. Food insecurity is dangerous for everyone but for
the elderly in particular. Hungry seniors are 60
percent more likely to experience depression, 53 percent more likely to
report a heart attack and 52 percent more likely to develop asthma.
Those who live alone are at particular risk.
Programs like SNAP can help address this problem. Right now, four million American seniors are
enrolled in SNAP. That’s just 41 percent of those who are eligible. On
average, the benefits provide $134 a month (or $113 a month for people
living alone). Other programs, like Meals on Wheels, provide fresh,
affordable food to the elderly, often delivering dishes to their homes.
We
can do more. In addition to signing more seniors up for SNAP, we can
make the process easier. Now I know that SNAP benefits are not just for
the poor; they help everyone make ends meet.
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