The Tennessean 9/11/2011
Older Tennesseans increasingly face hunger, AARP says
Therese Marrs has learned the art of stretching a link of smoked sausage, a jar of cheese and a box of macaroni into three meals every week.
The 56-year-old Smyrna mother struggles to make the meals come together for her husband and 16-year-old daughter each week, since she was laid off from her quality assurance job at a factory in February. She spends almost every day looking for jobs, but she fears the worst once her unemployment benefits run out in a few months.
“I’ve learned how to cut my meals. My food stamps only stretch about three weeks, so the food bank helps,” Marrs said. “I’ve been working in factories since I was 15, but I can’t seem to get anybody to hire me.”
Marrs is among the 1 in 6 Tennesseans and 15.6 million older adults who face the threat of hunger as a result of a lingering weak economy in America, according to a recently released AARP report, “Food Insecurity Among Older Adults.” The study, conducted by the University of Kentucky and the University of Illinois, showed that between 2007 and 2009, there was a 63 percent increase in food insecurity among 40- to 49-year-olds and a 37 percent increase for those between the ages of 50 and 59.
Baby boomers seem to be at the greatest risk for hunger because many do not receive benefits such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, which is offered to adults with children, or Social Security, typically available to those 62 and older, said AARP Tennessee spokeswoman Karin Miller. Tennessee ranks ninth in the country for food insecurity among 40- to 49-year-olds.
“People are losing their jobs, and it particularly hits the older worker harder,” Miller said. “There are few government programs set up for them, but our goal is to let them know of the benefits they do have. More people are in need of food, but there are less donations and less assistance. Nobody should go hungry because of that.”
Stigma is barrier
Besides the lack of employment, older adults also are misinformed about benefits that could assist them with their nutrition needs, said Casey Woodling, Community Food Advocates food stamp outreach coordinator. More than 1 million Tennesseans receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, but thousands more qualify, he said. His agency, which advocates healthy and affordable food, receives 200 calls a month from individuals in need of food stamps. Still, only a third of seniors eligible for food stamps are receiving them.
“There’s the stigma with receiving food stamps, but there’s also the barriers of knowing how the program works, mobility and technology,” Woodling said. “I get a lot of calls from people in that age group, and they’re struggling to get food on the table and paying for health care.”
Cathy Adams faces that particular perfect storm as she attempts to care for her husband, Mike. He suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, but does not receive disability benefits. The 47-year-old Madison woman was fired from her waitress job in December, but she expected to snag a job quickly after working in food service for 30 years. The lack of prospects, her husband’s health condition and the fact that she is now forced to live with a friend have led to depression, Adams said. She decided to sign up for SNAP earlier this month.
“We raised two kids. My husband was a roofer, and I worked two jobs,” Adams said. “We were never rich, but we were able to own a home and be OK. I laugh to keep from crying a lot of times, because I can’t figure out why I can’t find a job.”
Help is diminishing
SNAP has created a safety net for older adults suffering in the economic downturn, but those benefits will decrease by 2013, Woodling said. The stimulus program funded a13 percent increase in benefits in 2009, but the increase will be eliminated a year earlier than planned to make up for federal budget shortfalls.
Other programs such as Meals on Wheels and funding for food banks also face challenges. Barbara Hale, director of the Smyrna-La Vergne Food Bank, said her food bank depended on an annual $15,000 Emergency Food and Shelter grant for several years, but those federal funds were cut from the budget this year. The United Way and the Rutherford County community fund the food bank, which sees more than 450 people every month. Demand for food boxes is growing for residents in their 40s and 50s, but many residents are unaware of the food woes, she said.
“We’re having to go cheaper, and we’re giving out less food than we used to,” Hale said. “The cost of food keeps going up, but the funding is down. There’s so many people that go to work and church every week but don’t know this need is there. They just don’t see it.”
Since September is National Hunger Action Month, AARP hopes to open the eyes of those Americans to the fact that older adults have a growing urgency for sustenance, Miller said. The organization is holding donation drives at food banks across the country through its Drive to End Hunger program. AARP has also partnered with Walgreens to offer information about SNAP at the retailer’s 300 stores. Future cuts to state and federal budgets will make a community effort to end hunger a must, she said.
“We can’t count on the government because we know those budgets and numbers for feeding programs are not stable,” Miller said. “It’s so important that we help our own neighbors. One dollar at a food bank can turn into three to five meals.”
For Marrs and her family, the tide may be turning. Her husband, James, recently landed a job. Her daughter Glorie has managed to keep A’s and B’s in spite of the family’s hardship.
“I used to clean houses for a living,’’ Therese Marrs said. “I’ll go back to that if I am able to, but maybe something else will come up.’’
Contact Stephanie Tooneat 615-259-8079 or stoone@tennessean.com
