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Going to the grocery store has gotten a lot more expensive in recent years. Ground beef, tomatoes and coffee have all seen big spikes. Those higher prices can be especially hard on older adults on fixed incomes. Nicole Grundmeier with the Midwest Newsroom and Harvest Public Media has been out speaking with seniors.
NICOLE GRUNDMEIER, BYLINE: Once a month, the people who live in this low-income retirement community in Storm Lake, Iowa, gather to create their own food pantry. They divide and distribute donations from the Food Bank of Iowa.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: How many of the peppers?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Two.
GRUNDMEIER: Today, fresh pineapples, potatoes and bell peppers pile up on tables. The residents can go through and take the items they need. Linda Rufus, who is 67, relies on this pop-up pantry.
LINDA RUFUS: Well, I'm thinking about how I'm going to rob Peter to pay Paul because food prices are extremely high, and I have to really weigh out what's more important or how I can get the most out of a meal.
GRUNDMEIER: Rufus says she's stretching every dollar and trying to find cheaper, more filling food items. While she loves beef, she's now buying ground turkey. Her neighbor, Toni Keller, is also shopping at the pop-up pantry today. The 65-year-old spent years outside the workforce as a caregiver, which reduced her retirement benefits.
TONI KELLER: I get a whopping $304 a month 'cause I had a sick child, so most of my time was spent with her.
GRUNDMEIER: That Social Security payment isn't nearly enough to cover Keller's living expenses, including food. She relies on the federal food assistance program SNAP and other help, like this pop-up pantry. She recently completed treatment for breast cancer and tries to prioritize eating fresh fruits and vegetables.
KELLER: After having cancer, you're eating a little differently, which costs more money to do.
GRUNDMEIER: Nationwide, food prices were 3% higher this June compared to the same time last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That follows larger spikes during the COVID-19 pandemic. High food prices are pushing older adults to make difficult budget decisions which could affect their health. Jessica Johnston is a senior strategist at the National Council on Aging.
JESSICA JOHNSTON: So much of the conversation around SNAP and food insecurity really has been around children and families. And older adults really are often a forgotten population.
GRUNDMEIER: In 2024, an estimated 7.7 million Americans ages 60 and up experienced food insecurity or a lack of adequate food at some point, according to the USDA's Economic Research Service. That's about 1 in 10 older Americans. Gina Plata-Nino is the director of policy and advocacy at the Food Research & Action Center. She says Social Security benefits don't protect older adults from hunger.
GINA PLATA-NINO: Your rent didn't decrease because you turned 60. Your utilities didn't decrease because you turned 60. Neither did fuel, and neither did food.
GRUNDMEIER: And nearly half of older adults who carry credit card debt are using their cards to buy food, according to a 2025 survey by the AARP, the advocacy group for people 50 and older. Back in Iowa, Linda Rufus says she and her fellow residents at the Storm Lake Senior Housing are grateful for the pop-up pantry.
RUFUS: Because if it were not for the food banks, you know, supplying us with food, you know, we would be in a lot worse condition than we are.
GRUNDMEIER: Even so, experts say seniors on fixed incomes will likely continue to feel the squeeze of high food costs. For NPR News, I'm Nicole Grundmeier in Des Moines, Iowa.
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