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HUNGER UNFOLDS - REAL LIFE STORIES

Senior Hunger in South Jersey

Dan, 68, and Carol, 60, raised two daughters in their modest red brick house in Haddon Township, NJ. Dan made a living as an auto mechanic and Carol was a homemaker. They currently care for their 9-year old granddaughter after school five days a week.

In 2000, Carol fell ill with a combination of bipolar disorder and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Due to the serious nature of her illnesses, Dan took an early retirement and, in turn, a lesser social security payment.

Since Carol spent most of her life as a homemaker, she was eligible to receive only $100 a month in disability insurance. She needs ten medications daily.

Dan and Carol eventually went bankrupt. They decided to seek assistance when it was apparent they were making choices between buying lifesaving medicine and food. They reached out to Senior Citizens United Community Services of Camden County, Inc. (SCUCS), a non-profit agency that provides services, especially for those with the greatest socioeconomic need.

Because they needed to sell their car, a volunteer began delivering their three bags of food to them each month.

They also receive vouchers to get fresh produce from a few participating farmers’ markets. They can use the vouchers, which they call CHITs, to buy anything grown in New Jersey.

“SCUCS has been a great help,” says Dan. “They enable us to afford to purchase items such as meats, certain produce, and paper products at our local market.”

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