January 24, 2024 | Neighbors

Senior Neighbor, Carol, Encourages Program Use

We met Carol at a Senior Mobile in Rockford, IL. Carol is a resident of Greencastle of Mulford residential community. 

Carol, a resident at Greencastle of Mulford senior living facility, worked for social service organizations and is now retired. In her working life, Carol was committed to social service, which helped many people but didn’t pay a lot, leaving her with fewer savings for retirement.  

Carol appreciates the senior mobile Food Bank because it reaffirms her and her values. “Sometimes programs make you feel like you haven’t made enough money for yourself. This program doesn’t make me feel that way.”  

Carol also appreciates the convenience of the on-site food distribution. “For a while, I had a health issue, which made it very difficult to get to the store. Now I don’t have to leave the building, especially on a day like today when it’s so hot. Or in the winter, when it’s so cold.” 

Mostly, Carol takes food that she can use. If she has extra, she shares it with her daughter who is single and works by commission (so sometimes money is very tight). It makes Carol feel good to help her daughter when she doesn’t have a lot of her own cash to share. 

Carol encourages other residents to use the senior mobile program, “I’ll meet you at the door and then we can go through the mobile Food Bank together.” Carol was happy to see a new neighbor at the food distribution in her building. 

Based on her own work experience, Carol really appreciates the Northern Illinois Food Bank’s work and organization that goes into making the senior mobiles possible. “I understand what goes into getting this all together and I’m quite impressed.”