GUEST OPINION: Message from the frontlines on hunger

This Thursday, I will be testifying before the Hunger Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives. The caucus has initiated a conversation on hunger amongst seniors in the United States.

There will be five panelists, consisting of a researcher, a representative from the National Meals on Wheels, two staff members from the Library of Congress, and myself, representing the Redwood Empire Food Bank.

The Redwood Empire Food Bank has been invited to share the innovative ways in which our food bank is helping seniors in our community. In addition, we will be there to provide a “frontline” perspective on the experience of seniors who come to us for help.

In preparation for the trip, I have been visiting food distributions throughout our community. The strongest impression that I have is that many seniors are not there because of something they did wrong. In fact, quite the opposite is true. They did everything right. They worked hard, protected our country, raised families and made our country strong.

When I talk to the seniors, I see fear, despair, shame, and confusion in their eyes. I ask if they ever imagined they would be in a food line. To a person, they reply, “no.” They have simply outlived their savings. They have outlived the promise that if they work hard, save and pay Social Security taxes, they will be able to experience “the golden years” in relative comfort.

The experience of the seniors who come for help keeps me up at night. All my life I have heard that Social Security won’t be available when I retire. I have imagined that to mean that I won’t travel, have new cars, or enjoy the newest fashion trends. Like the seniors receiving food assistance today, not once have I ever thought that I would find myself in a food line.

When I speak to Congress, I want our elected leaders to know that the times have changed. We must acknowledge that seniors are in need, not because of mistakes made in the past. Instead, they are there as a result of doing everything right. And now, we must do something right for them. At a minimum, we must ensure that any senior who requires food assistance gets the help they need and deserve.

David Goodman is Executive Director of the Redwood Empire Food Bank which provides food assistance to 70,000 people every month in Sonoma County as well as food assistance to pantries in Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties.