The AARP reported some startling statistics about our senior citizens (age 50+). Many are going hungry in the U.S. Here are their figures:
10+ million are at risk of hunger each day.
3 million use food banks each year.
$130.5 billion is the yearly health care cost estimate resulting from food insecurity.
Why aren’t we taking better care of our older citizens?
I thought Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day (today) was funny, until I opened my fridge. What I saw reminded me that 1/3–½ of the food produced in the world goes to waste while starvation and food insecurity are widespread. We use a huge amount of water and polluting energy to make food that just ends up in the landfill. So I’ve turned over a new lettuce leaf. I’ll buy only what I need, buy locally grown produce whenever possible, and try growing some myself. I’ll be creative with leftovers and aging foods, eating them before they’re wasted (my freezer helps here). Maybe I’ll organize a potluck with friends so we can share. If I have too much fresh produce or non-perishable items, I’ll donate them to the local food bank. I know I’m not perfect and will have to dispose of some spoiled food. But it won’t be much, and I’ll compost it rather than tossing it into the garbage can or wasting water by using the disposal. The money I’ll save will go to organizations fighting hunger. It seems like the least I can do.
Hunger and food insecurity (not sure where the next meal will come from) is not a problem found “somewhere else.” It’s right here, on our doorstep, among people we come in contact with every day. Some 250,000 people in Silicon Valley use the Food Bank each month. The total of hungry people around us is even higher, because many others depend on food pantries that operate out of churches or other groups that collect their own food for distribution, not dipping into the never-enough supply at the Food Bank.
That’s a large number of men, women, and children suffering in an economy struggling to stabilize itself. I can’t change the situation or hurry along economic recovery, but I can toss a few extra items into my grocery cart and drop them off someplace that will do some good, like the Santa Teresa Parish food pantry down the street from me on Cahalan Ave. I bet there’s a close-by place where you could do the same.