I was visiting Long's drugstore last week and an elderly African American woman was buying lots of top ramen. I asked her to swap ramen recipes as I eat a lot of it was between jobs and contracts. She said that she just ate it plain. No hamburger? I asked. She just shook her head. Do you like Annies Mac and Cheese? I asked and she said yes and smiled. That was it and we left. In screenwriter's parlance that was called a throw away line in dialogue.

But days later I thought about her, elderly, retired, dignified, and that she no doubt worked hard all her life and now she gets to eat a diet of Mac and cheese and ramen. I felt angry and how unfair it is to treat members of our society like that. So yesterday I went to the Senior Center where she iives to check out the programs. On the table in the waiting room were two bags of moldy carrots. Black mold was on them. Three plums had leaked juice all over the table....that sent me over an edge.

I will go to markets and restaurants in the area to see if we can direct foods etc. But I've never done this before. Does anyone have suggestions, ideas, experience in food programs for seniors?