“I have this little bug called lung cancer,” Jim explains. “It’s been rough.”
His “bug” doesn’t stop him, however. Even when he doesn’t feel well, he tries every day to make it up to the veteran’s center to volunteer. A Navy veteran with years under his belt at sea, Jim isn’t used to staying still.
Today is his first day using the food pantry, however. He has known about it a long time, volunteered right next to it, probably suggested to other veterans like himself that they go get themselves a box of food. “I decided to try it because I’m hungry. There’s been a hiccup in my retirement pay and I’m out of food. I’m grateful this place can help.”
“It can be frustrating to be struggling so much at my age, but I’m alright. I’m surviving. All I can do is try to maintain a positive attitude and help others. Because I’ve learned that helping others is really all that matters in this life.”
Nearly 5 million senior citizens currently face hunger in our country, many of them right here in Northwest North Carolina. After a lifetime of hard work, 63% of the households with older adults (50+) served in food pantries find themselves facing an impossible choice — to buy groceries or pay for medical care. And as the baby-boom generation ages, the number of seniors facing hunger is only expected to increase.
Second Harvest works hard year-round to provide our network of over 460 on-the-ground food programs with healthy, fresh food that helps to keep seniors like Jim healthy and cared for. But we can’t do it without you.
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