Around the Table: March 2024
Letter from the President & CEO
Dear Friend,
Recent statistics from Feeding America estimate that 5.5 million people age 60 and over experience hunger in the United States. That’s 1 out of every 14 seniors across the country.
Every state is home to older adults who face hunger, and Wisconsin is no exception. Many of our older neighbors face obstacles accessing and preparing food, including lack of transportation, living in a food desert, or coping with a disability or chronic health problem that makes it difficult to safely cook or drive to a grocery store.
Everything’s a Help
Art, an 80-year-old Air Force veteran, likes to keep busy. One of his favorite hobbies is flying a plane on his flight simulator. He volunteers at the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh as well as at his church’s spaghetti dinner and a feeding program called Double Portion.
Unfortunately, as much as Art loves his volunteer work, it doesn’t pay the bills. And money has been tight for a while. Art’s late wife had two bouts of cancer, and the medical bills put them into significant debt. Now, Art is left to rely on a dwindling savings account, FoodShare benefits (formerly food stamps), and his Social Security.
This is for the Future
For Cha Cha and Michael, Grand Avenue Club provides an invaluable place of care and belonging. Both live with mental illnesses — Cha Cha has depression and Michael struggles with schizophrenia. But at GAC, they find community, hot meals, activities, and encouragement.
Cha Cha visits multiple times a week and enjoys rec time and eating lunch with the other members. Beyond physical nourishment, GAC nourishes her soul. “It helps me to open my eyes. I did make mistakes in the past, but let the past be the past. This is for the future,” she says of the hope GAC has brought her. “It means to me, take care of yourself. Take care of the members that need help. We have a good meal here. If somebody don’t have any money, we give them a free lunch.”
Planting the Seeds of Change
Dan Taivalkoski has been helping to feed people for most of his life, in one way or another. He once worked for a food service company, then as the manager of a small restaurant in Racine. He has now been the executive director of the Racine County Food Bank for two decades.
And as director, he’s on a mission. The goal? To help neighbors facing food insecurity.
Dan knows that any food is important, but he’s also passionate about teaching neighbors about nutrition. “Our focus now is more on getting some items that truly have nutritional value that will help these clients. We work with the nutrition education program, and they will visit the pantries and hand out recipes and do samplings,” he explains.
“We got a Partnership for a Healthier America grant two years ago to focus on fresh produce. We’ve been kind of incorporating that into our thing,” he continues.
I Thank God That They’re Here
Casey is facing quite the challenge feeding three growing children. And two of them are teenagers!
A household of five can be difficult for anyone to feed. But Casey has had health problems recently, and she’s not able to work full time. Unfortunately, her part-time work makes her ineligible for disability income. That means her husband’s job has to cover all the bills, and it just doesn’t stretch far enough. Even with some food assistance, things get really tight by the end of the month … so tight that the parents sometimes forgo food so their kids can eat.
