We are proud to provide senior citizens with basic food staples through our brown bag program. While many people in our area have trouble accessing nutritious food, seniors are particularly at risk due to declining health, rising medical costs, and fixed incomes. In our ongoing Faces of Hunger series, we profile 3 brown bag recipients that rely on the brown bag staples the Capital Area Food Bank provides.
Kimalon Wright
Kimalon Wright, now retired, worked for the DC government for 30 years. She now lives off of her retirement savings, which, while they scarcely cover all of her expenses, prevent her from qualifying for food stamps. When a leg injury beset Kimalon some years back, obtaining food became even more of a struggle.
Bed ridden and dealing with increasing medical costs, Kimalon desperately needed food assistance. Friends informed Kimalon of the Capital Area Food Bank’s brown bag program. Without hesitation, Kimalon sought the Food Bank’s assistance. She has now been a brown bag recipient for 2 years. Though she is wheelchair bound, with surgery on the horizon, Kimalon is still able to obtain nutritious food. The brown bag program has become a source of stability and a lifeline for her recovery.
Willie Mae Cobb
Similar to Kimalon, Willie Mae Cobb is unable to keep up with rising food prices and high medical expenses. Afflicted with chronic high blood pressure, Mrs. Cobb is stuck in a tough situation. She needs proper nutrition to put her on the road to wellness, but after paying her bills, she is left with little to live on.
For Mrs. Cobb, the brown bag program is the difference between eating and not eating. As Mrs. Cobb puts it, the program is the “key to her survival.” The food items she receives allow her to meet her nutritional needs, and assist her in her battle with high blood pressure.
Marvin Stewart
Marvin Stewart is confined to a wheelchair and walker. He suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and carries a portable air tank to assist with his breathing. Like Kimalon, Mr. Stewart is narrowly ineligible to receive food stamps due to the size of his fixed income. Mr. Stewart has family in the area, but they are also struggling to make ends meet. They try to assist him when possible, though, and this has led Mr. Stewart to the brown bag program for assistance.
The brown bag program “means the world” to Mr. Stewart, who has been a recipient for 2 years. When asked about the program, he states: “If I did not receive the brown bag, I would have to go through the garbage to find enough food to eat.” Fortunately, the brown bag program gives Mr. Stewart the ability to sustain himself in these harsh economic times.
Kimalon, Willie, and Marvin are among the 3900 candidates the Capital Area Food Bank hopes to provide Thanksgiving baskets to through the Bringing in the Birds with Bucks campaign. Low-income seniors throughout the Washington metro region are struggling and we hope that you will consider making a donation to support them this Thanksgiving Day.