By Michael Hill
Correspondent
There are pockets all over the Garden State where there’s no fresh produce. Major food retailers tend to steer clear of so-called “food deserts”. Camden hasn’t had a large supermarket open in more than 30 years, and 50 A&P stores closed and aren’t scheduled to re-open. That’s further fueled hunger in New Jersey, and it’s an epidemic among seniors and people with disabilities who are Chasing the Dream.
He once fought for freedom. Now, this 90-year-old fights for food. So does Mary Bedward who says she often chooses between paying for something to eat and paying for something to take to relieve her long list of ailments.
“I worked for over 30-something years and paid in to the system,” Bedward said. “This is the only thing I can get from the system?”
Mary’s selfie is displayed with many of others in a new exhibit showing the New Jersey Soul of Hunger that shows the hidden reality for seniors and the disabled.
Advocates say seniors lose ground every year as energy, housing, taxes and other living expenses increase while the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, loses funds in the farm bill.
“The majority of seniors in our state who are food insecure are not registered to receive SNAP due to the difficulty they have to sign up and register,” Melanie Roth from the Community Relations Committee of Greater MetroWest NJ said.
Statistics show women make up the hardest hit.
“The longevity issues and the cost of living and the low social security make them economically vulnerable,” Grace Egan from the New Jersey Foundation for Aging said.
“Many seniors do not think or want to believe they are poor. So, when you have language like ‘if you’re below the federal poverty line’ – well, right there they don’t want want to go and be below the federal poverty line. They don’t want to access programs that are for poor people,” Diane Riley, Advocacy Director of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey said.
“Some can’t fathom that we have thousands of people in New Jersey who are hungry,” said Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver.
For some, the way to end, or dramatically curtail hunger in New Jersey, is not that elusive.
“One of the problem is that there are not enough jobs, and there are not enough well-paying jobs,” Michelle Bobrow, founder of Bobrow Kosher Food Pantry said. “It’s very hard for people to get employment that will help lead them to self-sufficient lives.”
Thirty years ago, Bobrow and her husband opened their kosher food pantry to feed the elderly and newly arrived Russian emigrants. It’s open one Sunday a month and feeds 75 families in the greater community.
Despite going strong, Bobrow says they still have hunger in their community.
A synagogue sponsors the pantry.
“Let’s be aware that the simple act of showing up at a food pantry is a courageous act,” said Rabbi Mark Cooper from Oheb Shalom Congregation.
The New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition wants New Jersey to give seniors a standard medical deduction, double the supplemental benefit and simplify the SNAP application.
“Applying for SNAP is kind of worse than doing your taxes,” said Adele LaTourette.
One advocate says all the food distributions and food banking in America add up to just three percent of the need.
“We have to elevate our response, add on to our response beyond the canned food drive, writing checks to actually advocate for the kind of programs that are large scale, that are effective and efficient in addressing hunger,” Samuel Chu from Mazon said.
It’s an issue starving for better solutions.
Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America is a multi-platform public media initiative that provides a deeper understanding of the impact of poverty on American society. Major funding for this initiative is provided by The JPB Foundation. Additional funding is provided by Ford Foundation.