One Bread of Life food recipient who was never camera shy and always willing to tell his story was an unforgettable man named Al. Al was 90 years old when he first came to the Bread of Life food pantry. A Korean War veteran and avid patriot, Al would often wear red, white, & blue clothing. His colorful stories were a blessing to both our volunteers and his fellow food recipients.
Al is just one of the numerous food insecure seniors served by the Bread of Life. Hunger among seniors is growing due to reduced federal funding and the inability of existing food delivery programs to meet increasing demand. Fixed incomes, the high cost of prescription drugs, and rising housing costs all contribute to hunger and food insecurity among seniors since there is often no money left over to purchase food.
In Westchester County alone over 22% of the hungry are senior citizens. On a recent trip to rescue food from a local grocery, an employee ran out to greet us. “Are you the ones who bring the food to Kingsport?” “ Yes,” we replied. “You are feeding my mother,” he replied, “thank you so much for taking care of her as I cannot.”
Bread of Life delivers food regularly to the seniors at both Rye Manor and Kingsport, many of whom are unable to drive due to illness or age. We also serve many seniors, like Al, on our onsite food pantry in Rye. Hunger among the elderly is often overlooked, while many die or waste away in silence both lonely and forgotten.
Thank you to all who have partnered with us in helping them.
Pastors Pasquale & Sherri Falco, Founders.