KANSAS CITY, Missouri – A Kansas City Metro nonprofit supports more than 1,200 seniors living below the poverty line and facing food insecurity.
“We are often the last hope a senior or adult has,” said Jack Cornelison, director of programs and facilities at Phoenix Family. “We are often the difference between a surviving senior.”
Phoenix Family, 3908 Washington Street, helps residents lead independent lives through shelter, food, and other assistance.
Seniors are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity. In 2019, 5.2 million Americans over 60 – or one in 14 seniors – had limited access to food. According to experts, nutritionally insecure seniors are more likely to develop diet-related health problems, and the financial and physical barriers of aging do not make access to nutrition easier.
Cornelison has seen food insecurity and emergency services double in number during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Wellness checks and mental health services and crisis intervention services and things like that,” said Cornelison.
Residents of the Phoenix family face financial, physical, emotional, and geographic barriers. Access to social benefits, health care, and transportation can also be difficult. And with many seniors in quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Phoenix Family volunteers meet them where they are by going door to door.
“Although they seem so small, it adds up,” said Erma Bazzil, who lives on social security. “You’re trying to pay bills, go about your day-to-day life, see the doctor … Well, if I don’t have to spend money on food, then these things can be done a lot easier.”
Bazzil said she relies on local pantries for her purchases. After a car accident in the 1990s, she spent her retirement savings on major ankle surgery. Since then it has been difficult to stand alone.
According to a 2019 report by Feeding America, the rate of food insecurity among seniors with disabilities was three times higher.
“Normally I wouldn’t buy this for myself,” said Bazzil. “And I like it. It’s a great experience to get fresh food. People just don’t get it, the help you get is very much appreciated.”
For Sharon Carter, the Phoenix Family service felt like an answered prayer.
“I was at the highest risk – older, African American, I had cancer. I couldn’t afford to get sick again, so I quarantined myself, ”Carter said. “Getting the food brought to your door now was phenomenal.”
After being diagnosed with cancer and other health complications, she had to close her small business due to COVID-19. Carter said she needed to adjust her lifestyle right away, but despite all the difficulties, the hardest part was asking for help.
“My daughter had to tell me when I had cancer, ‘Mom, you have to learn to ask for help and then accept it.’ It’s like learning to walk, ”Carter said.
According to Cornelison, the best way for the public to help is by volunteering. He said many seniors just want to feel heard and not forgotten.
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