Senior News Line: Stay fed, stay safe

Life has certainly changed recently. Depending on where you live, it might have changed a lot. Stay home if you’re a senior. Stay home if you have a medical condition. That’s what we’ve been told.

That’s all well and good, but what if we really need to shop for food? What if we couldn’t stock up last week because the Social Security benefit hadn’t made it to our checking account yet?

If you’re really in a jam for food, call the food bank. Of all the places, that one is most likely to still be open. They’re trying to keep people fed, especially seniors, as well as children who don’t get free meals because the schools are now closed.

Ask if they have a drive-up pantry where you can be handed some bags of food through the car window. You might find that food is being distributed at places like the senior center or a school parking lot or via Meals on Wheels, even if you aren’t signed up as a participant.

If you do dare to enter a store, a number of grocery stores are designating the first hour or two in the morning for seniors only. Not all stores are doing this, so call first. If they don’t do it, suggest it.

You’re more likely to find the things you need during this time as the shelves will — hopefully — be restocked overnight.

And with fewer people in the store, you’re less likely to run into someone with the virus, but stay away from other people anyway. If you go, be sure to take sanitizing wipes for the cart handles.

Remember, if you go out, you’re really not safe from the virus. Do it as little as possible.