Sheri Duncan, a volunteer at the Pinelake Care Center, near Jackson, Miss., says her food pantry serves many elederly people in the area. Mississippi ranks in the top ten states for food insecurity for people 60 and older.
Geraldine is a grandmother. Like many retired people, she and her husband depend on their Social Security checks to get by each month. This can be challenging on its own, but Geraldine has another full-time job, one that doesn’t pay in dollars: caring for her four grandchildren. Geraldine drives an average car, looks neatly dressed, and is proud to share her life story of running a farm. What you wouldn’t guess is that she depends on local food pantry to keep everyone in her household fed. She may not be whom you picture when you think of someone who is food insecure, but she is not alone. Many elderly people are suffering with a bad economy and increased pressures to care for an extended family. Mississippi ranks in the top ten states for food insecurity for people 60 and older.
As part of the Mississippi Hunger Project Nutrition Fairs held yesterday in Vicksburg and today in Jackson, we are interviewing people to gain perspective and insight into hunger in our communities. Working with the National Urban League and the Mississippi Food Network, we are raising awareness of hunger in a state that, ironically, also has a high obesity rate. We have a *lot* of video stories to share, so please check back for updates. And if you are in the Jackson, Miss., area, come on by the Salvation Army Center on Beasley Rd., and learn about hunger stereotypes first hand.
