Growing old, growing hungry

In August 1935, Franklin Delano Roosevelt changed the future of this United States. He set America on a course that said growing old should not mean growing hungry. The passage of the Social Security Act recognized that the economy should work to improve the quality of life for everyone - including those moving into their senior years.

Social Security has single-handedly done more to reduce senior hunger and poverty than any other policy, but it hasn’t fully ended senior hunger. In 2022, Feeding America estimates nearly 7million Americans over 60 experienced food insecurity.

It is even worse news for Ohio. A 2024 study found that Ohio has a 7.2% food insecurity rate among seniors citizens - much higher than the national average of 5.6%. Ohio has high food insecurity among seniors than our neighboring states - Michigan (2.7%), Pennsylvania (3.9%), Kentucky (4.1%), West Virginia (4.2%) and Indiana (4.9%). 

Food insecurity among seniors can quickly cause other issues related including elevated risk of diabetes, depression, more days of poor physical health, Dementia, heart disease, and heart attacks, according to comprehensive research over a generation of seniors.

While we might be sliding back on the progress gained since the 1930s, we have an opportunity to quickly reduce hunger among seniors and guarantee another century of better health, and a more food secure future.

1. Strengthen the stability of the Social Security System: Right now, a person who earns more than $176,100 a year is paying a lower rate of their income as payroll tax into the social security system. America could quickly secure the long-term fiscal solvency of social security by guaranteeing that everyone pays the same tax rate into social security - especially the wealthiest individuals. This will prevent benefit cuts in the future.

2. Invest in food stable communities: Congress needs to pass a farm bill that builds on successes such as nutrition as medicine initiatives , expand SNAP support for fresh fruits and vegetables, and expand urban agriculture grants. As many seniors downsize their homes, developing local food systems that center nutrition and community will improve the health outcomes and food security of seniors.

3. Protect our emergency food system: Programs like Meals on Wheels and our food banks are not only providing food to seniors, but community connection. We not only need to reverse funding cuts to these programs at the state and federal level, but expand them to fully meet the needs of our neighbors.

4. Senior SNAP benefit: SNAP benefits in Ohio are calculated using a complicated formula that ignores some of the budgetary realities of seniors and their minimum benefit is often less than $25 a month. The State of Ohio should pass HB 178 (Williams, Troy) that would increase the minimum SNAP benefit for seniors to $50.

Any of these steps would have a notable impact on reducing senior citizen hunger and the corresponding health consequences and costs associated with senior hunger. Collectively, these investments could revolutionize Ohio to ending senior citizen hunger and dramatically improving the quality of life for our seniors.

A Pre-Election Devotional

Written by Shari Miller-Rowe, HNO Intern from Trinity Lutheran Seminary

We might all be feeling the political tension of the upcoming election. Political campaigns are designed to tap into our fears for the future. This year we have seen the use of half-truths or alternative facts to try to secure political votes. We may be anxious because of all the hate speech we are subjected to in this election cycle.

As we think about this political tension, let us look at a passage from the Orthodox Jewish Bible. This is a story where people were lacking in political power. From the Jewish and Christian historical context, this passage is set as the Hebrew people are in exile from their native land because they have been conquered by the Babylonians - a foreign political power. The Hebrews find themselves as exiles, immigrants, and foreigners in the land of Babylon.

Jeremiah 29:4-7

“ 4  This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I

carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:  5  ‘Build houses and settle

down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.  6  Marry and have sons

and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in

marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in

number there; do not decrease.  7  Also, seek the peace and prosperity of

the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it,

because if it prospers, you too will prosper.’”

What does God tell these people to do when they have lost all political power? God says live your life. Carry on. In fact, God says increase and prosper. We all hope that we will not see issues and measures that we care about fail this election cycle. We hope that we will not see candidates that we feel are harmful to our society elected. We want elected officials that agree with us on issues that are important to us. But whether our candidates win or lose, whether our issue passes or fails, whether we see scary political ideologies come to power or not, we are called to do the same thing: live our lives and carry on. There is a call to increase and prosper. We are to keep advocating for what we know is right whether we gain political ground or lose it. We are to continue doing what we are doing even if we see the rise in scary political agendas.

This passage says seek peace. We are going to need to seek peace with those who we strongly disagree with. This passage ties the prosperity of the exiles to the prosperity of the city in which they live. Likewise, we need to keep working for the prosperity of all even when it means working with those that offend our politics. It may have felt hard for the Hebrews in this passage to pray for the city in which they were held captive. This meant praying for the people and institutions that had removed their power. Likewise, we are called to pray for the political systems that we disagree with and the political leaders that oppose our ideas. We do this for the sake of the prosperity of all. We would be remiss if we did not recognize that the Hebrews in this passage were the foreigners. Those who had the least amount of power were called to be in community with and seek the prosperity of those with the most amount of power. How unfair! The least that we can do today is to continue to seek the prosperity of those who lack power and agency in our country. The least that we can do is seek the best for the least among us.

Prayer:

God of Power and All Authority,

May we partner with you in this political season so that we may

not lose sight that we are called to carry on, live our lives, and seek the

prosperity of all no matter what the outcome of any election. Make us

instruments of peace and tools of disruption to bring about prosperity for

all society. Open our eyes to ways to bring about increase and agency for

all. Hear our prayers as we ask that you give direction to all our leaders

and to all who advocate for a better society.

In the name of the Holy God,

Amen.

Faithful Response to Christian Nationalism