Holly V. Hays,
Indianapolis Star Published 7:41 p.m. ET Jan. 16,
2019
Tracy Ferch drove 20 miles to the National
Guard Armory in Lebanon on what little gas he could afford. What he walked away
with surprised him.
Fifty pounds of carrots. Three loaves of
bread. Beans. While kitchen staples for most, the haul represented about two
weeks of meals for the 57-year-old Frankfort resident — and that's eating
two meals a day, not just the one he said he usually restricts himself to.
"I mean, I'm gonna live again,"
Ferch said.
The pop-up pantry, which will return to the
armory on the third Tuesday of each month, was part of a new effort
by Gleaners Food Bank and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to provide
aid to senior citizens in areas of Central Indiana where need can be
high and assistance scarce.
Senior citizens are a particularly vulnerable
population of food insecure Hoosiers. Traveling long distances to traditional
food pantry sites can be difficult, and poor nutrition can exacerbate any
pre-existing health conditions. Some are tasked with raising grandchildren
or other relatives, a potential side effect of the opioid epidemic.
"There are so many people out here
that can't make it," Ferch said.
'A heart for the seniors'
Nearly 5 million senior citizens in the United
States are facing hunger, according to Feeding America. In
Indiana, food insecurity affects one in five seniors.
The $200,000 sponsorship from Anthem will
provide about 120 mobile food pantries for seniors this year, each
one leaving a food bank with thousands of pounds of food to deliver to
residents in about half of Gleaners' 21-county service area. Visitors to the
pantry simply have to show their ID to prove residency in that county and
their age.
One purpose of the program is to provide aid
in areas outside Marion County where food assistance programs may otherwise be
scarce, said Gleaners CEO John Elliott.
"I don’t mean that to imply that here’s
not need for senior mobiles (in Marion County)," he said,
"but there are options available that aren’t available in other
counties."
In addition to Gleaners senior shopping
days, Marion County residents have access to the federal Commodity
Supplemental Food Program, Meals on Wheels and multiple
community centers and pantries that provide free, hot meals at least once a
day.
In some of the surrounding counties, it can be
difficult for smaller brick-and-mortar pantries to support additional
programming or add an extra day to its schedule, Gleaners senior programs
manager Sloan Shockley said.
"There's definitely a need, but there's
also a heart for the seniors," she said. "So it's just finding
the resources and quite frankly the financial support that's needed out
there."
Focusing on senior hunger
David McNichols, president
of Anthem's Medicare Central Region, said it's important to meet
seniors where they are because the lack of nutritious foods can exacerbate any
existing health issues.
"We think that while they're
probably more needy than the 1 in 6 general population number —
we know that's a fact — they probably are less able to pursue the options that
are going to help solve that for them," he said.
"We also know that seniors suffer more
chronic illnesses than the general population, and because of that, the good,
quality nutrition is that much more important as part of their total
wellness program."
There are a number of factors contributing to
food insecurity among Indiana's seniors, but not to be ignored is the opioid
epidemic, Elliott said. When parents are incarcerated or otherwise unavailable
to their children, grandparents often step in.
"So, these grandparents raising their
grandkids likely don't have the financial resources to do so, and they're
making some tough choices between prescriptions or medical care and food,"
Elliott said. "In many cases, they're not eating, themselves, or
eating less in order to feed the grandkids. And that exacerbates any health
issues those seniors have."
That's why the line in Lebanon also included
snack foods like popcorn, pudding, cookies and whipped cream.
"It really helps them provide something
special for their grandchildren or any of the children in their home without
tapping into their resources to provide that," Shockley said.
Making ends meet
Junior Martin doesn't eat breakfast.
"Very seldom if I ever eat lunch, 'cause
somebody else is buying it," he said.
Without steady work, it can be hard to make
ends meet.
"I'm on Social Security. By the time
I pay rent, utilities and my phone bill, you have very little to go
on," Martin said. "So I go out here and dig up odd jobs,
whatever it may be, to get me by."
Martin, 66, left Tuesday's mobile pantry with
boxes and bags including blueberry yogurt and granola, turkey breast,
diced ham, cereal and Snack Pack chocolate pudding. He and Ferch represented
two of the 78 total households served at the pantry, the county's first senior
mobile of the year.
"It's about like going shopping for
yourself," Martin said, "except I wouldn't have that much money to
buy what you got here."
Every month is like this, Ferch said, deciding
between medications, bills and putting food on the table. But on Tuesday,
at least some of that weight was lifted from his shoulders.
"It's like Christmas."
Find a mobile pantry
Distributions are subject to change due to
weather or other circumstances at the following locations. For the most
up-to-date information regarding closings, visit www.gleaners.org or follow Gleaners Food
Bank of Indiana on Facebook.
Boone County: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each
month at the National Guard Armory, 801 N. East St., Lebanon.
Decatur County: 10 a.m. to noon on the fourth Monday of
each month at First Christian Church, 425 N. Broadway St., Greensburg.
Fayette County: 3 to 5 p.m. on the first Wednesday
of each month at Crosspointe Biker Church, 1130 E. Baseline Road, Connersville.
Franklin County: 11 a.m. to noon on the fourth Wednesday
of each month at the Franklin County Senior Services Center, 11146 County Park
Road, Brookville.
Hancock County: 1 to 3 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each
month at the Hancock County Fairgrounds, 620 N. Apple St., Greenfield.
Jackson County: 10 a.m. to noon on the third Friday of
each month at the Brownstown Church of the Nazarene, 616 W. Commerce St.,
Brownstown. (Outdoors — winter location is 3180 W. Commerce St., Vallonia.)
Putnam County: 10 a.m. to noon on the second Thursday
of each month at the National Guard Armory, 401 N. Arlington St., Greencastle.
Scott County: 10 a.m. to noon on the first Thursday of
the month at the First Christian Church shelter house, 750 S. Gardner,
Scottsburg. (Winter distributions are held inside.)
Shelby County: 1 to 2:30 p.m. on the fourth
Tuesday of the month at 125 W. Washington St., Shelbyville.
Wayne County: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each
month at the National Guard Armory, 1200 W. Main St., Richmond.
How you can help
Send a financial donation to Gleaners Food
Bank via its website, gleaners.org, or send a check to Gleaners Food
Bank of Indiana, 3737 Waldemere Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46241. Find out how
to volunteer at gleaners.org/volunteer-opportunities.
Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at
317-444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.
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