Daphne is a 58 year old resident of St. Louis, Missouri. Over the course of fifteen years, she has watched her health, the cost of living, and her neighborhood shift around her. Most notably, the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 caused a dramatic shift in her life. She has witnessed how difficult it can be to restabilize when faced with uncertainty about food, housing, and income. Her story may be personal, but it isn’t an unfamiliar one. Missourians over the age of 55 share the same struggle: food insecurity is a long term pressure that affects a person’s everyday decisions, often forcing older adults to constantly rethink their plans, budgets, and sense of stability as they try to navigate life every month.
Daphne is a diabetic, and was considered high risk during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, her doctor encouraged her to stop working at her healthcare job and stay home, to reduce the risk of illness and strain on her immune system. A sudden loss of income can be jarring, and like many other individuals during this time, Daphne was faced with relying on unemployment assistance to keep food on the table and the lights on.
During the pandemic, Daphne had a full house. This included family members who promised to help, however as the months passed, the help eventually dried up and keeping everything stable became more difficult. She found herself struggling to support multiple people with little help in return, struggling with her mortgage and keeping her pantry full. Eventually, everyone was asked to move out, except for her daughter. Daphne’s daughter stepped up and helped her mom pay the bills and restabilize the household. With the support of her daughter, Daphne was able to keep the home she worked so hard for. “I definitely wasn’t losing this house,” she said. “It’s not in the best shape, but it’s home.”
When the world began to return to normalcy, Daphne decided to get back to work as soon as possible. She got a job at her local Dollar Tree, where she was employed for two years. Just a few weeks after she started, she unfortunately lost her son to gun violence. Daphne, the strong woman she is, pushed through her grief, and continued to work as hard as she could. As a result of her hard work, Daphne was promoted from cashier to manager, even though the position was a strain on her physical well-being.
“I really should’ve said no…. I’m not as physically strong as I was when I was 35.”
Sadly, Daphne lost her job at Dollar Tree in January 2024, where she faced a scary reality: a loss of income which led to a loss of food access. Food insecurity for older adults rarely looks like a singular moment of hunger or one skipped meal. It is a constant battle of decisions: between bills and groceries, medication and meals, and how and where to ask for help. For Daphne, it began with something most people don’t think about, transportation. Like many other older adults, Daphne does not drive, so this means she relies on traveling by foot to get to and from locations. Before losing her job, Daphne was able to pick up meals when necessary after her shift was over. Losing her job meant she lost the flexibility to pick up her groceries quickly, and she’d had to go elsewhere to get them. Walking long distances was a difficult task for her, especially during the winter. She relied on driving services like Uber, to commute to grocery stores. While helpful, it was another cost that came out of her pocket.
“I’ve been here for 15 years. I can’t walk a mile like I used to.”
Daphne’s income was not the only thing that began to run out – so did the food in her pantry. At first, she didn’t know how she would reach a grocery store or food pantry. She eventually discovered she could use her Medicaid transportation benefit to get to a pantry. She used it once and was relieved, but she continued searching for other options closer to her home.
To make food stretch, Daphne works hard to keep track of the food and beverage items she does have and makes them stretch as far as possible. The food she does have, she keeps a close eye on and stores it in her bedroom. She has cut where she can including cutting snacks out of her grocery list and has familiarized herself with coupons to cut food costs.
“…since I was a kid I’ve been hungry so I’m going to be very frugal and I learned about coupons we used to get out of the Sunday paper..”
However, even with her careful planning, the recent delay in SNAP benefits added stress. When the timing of benefits is unpredictable, older adults like Daphne are forced to make difficult decisions to keep food on the table. Things like increasing food prices, long wait times for food assistance, and lack of transportation are added stressors as well.
Daphne has seen other older adults in similar situations as hers in her community. Not long ago, Daphne witnessed an older woman trying to leave the grocery store with her items. This woman was in a wheelchair, and attempting to cross the street with her groceries in her lap.
We asked Daphne, “What do you wish lawmakers understood about food insecurity?”
“I just wish they knew the pains of hunger. That’s what causes a lot of insecurity. I noticed that I am walking through the store, and there are other older people, even older than me.”
Daphne hopes to see expanded options of transportation to grocery stores for older adults, or possibly even expanded delivery services to those who struggle to leave their home safely and consistently. Throughout Missouri, especially in rural areas, there are older adults who are unable to drive, walk or commute safely to grocery stores within reasonable distance. In times where grocery stores may not be as easily accessible for our older population, it is important to have mobile resources available to expand food security and ensure no one is left without support.
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