We are all becoming accustomed to rising grocery bills and meat and vegetables becoming out of reach for many. That’s especially for low-income seniors (25 per cent of seniors in B.C. are living below the poverty line already) including me.
My grocery bill this week was $74.49. For that amount of money, I got: A loaf of bread, a bag of dry cat food, a little pack of six beef cubes, a small box of Halloween candy for the kids, a bag of carrots, a jug of canola oil (can’t afford olive oil anymore) and a can of baby clams.
Now, to many, that may not seem like much at all but, for a retired senior like me on a fixed income (and having many other household expenses) and living on a monthly pension income of $1,929.09 ($23,149.08 per year), that’s a heck of a lot of money to me!
Perhaps I should not have bought the Halloween candy and not bought the cat food for my furry friends, but I do not want to let them down.
The B.C. and federal governments must help (in a substantial financial way!) the many low-income seniors in this province so we can live in a dignified manner in our so called golden years. Going to food banks just won’t cut it.
John Hummel
Nelson
