Milwaukee Seniors Zina and Andrew Stretch their Food Budget with Stockbox DoorDash and FoodShare

Zina and Andrew Alexander have become experts at navigating the complexities of living on a fixed income. Both in their early 60s and residing in Milwaukee County, they depend on essential resources for aging adults including the Stockbox DoorDash program and FoodShare to keep themselves fed. Finding each other later in life, Zina and Andrew’s partnership is built on shared experience and echoes their personal belief that, just because you’re down, doesn’t mean you’re out.

Zina, a disabled veteran, carries the physical weight of her service. “I have to send Andrew to the grocery store because my injuries cause me severe hip pain if I’m on my feet too long,” she said. Zina’s mobility, limited after breaking both ankles while serving in the military, makes simple errands a daunting task. Receiving a monthly Stockbox, an assortment of healthy supplemental foods for low-income seniors, became a lifeline especially when Hunger Task Force introduced the DoorDash delivery option. “Getting our Stockboxes delivered by DoorDash was a real blessing. I couldn’t go get them, and it was just too much for Andrew to carry both boxes alone,” she adds.

For Andrew, the Stockbox’s inclusion of cereal and milk is a welcome staple. He appreciates the consistency and reliability of this monthly delivery. “When you eat right, you think right,” he offered. Living with schizophrenia and the lingering effects of a traumatic head injury, he knows the importance of nutrition for both physical and mental well-being.

Zina, a skilled cook taught to create meals from scratch, utilizes Stockbox’s healthy foods as a foundation for the meals she makes at home. Using their FoodShare benefits, and Senior Farmers’ Market Vouchers in the summertime, to stretch their budget further, they shop for additional ingredients needed to create flavorful and nutritious meals.

Their story is one of resourcefulness and gratitude. “We utilize whatever we can,” Zina shared. “We don’t have the financial income that we used to have. A lot of us seniors are on fixed incomes.”

Their path to stability wasn’t always smooth. Zina, a veteran, educator and author, experienced homelessness after a series of personal hardships. “I was prideful. I didn’t want to ask for help,” she confessed. “I figured I had been making a living all these years – I have a bachelor’s degree, I was a schoolteacher and I am a veteran. I was ashamed and felt I shouldn’t be in this position.” Zina found herself in a self-described spiral and frequently relied on shelters and other emergency support services.

It was at the Salvation Army Emergency Lodge homeless shelter that she met Andrew, her “knight in shining armor.” Their connection blossomed, providing each other with support and companionship. The couple married in 2017, and together, they are learning to navigate programs built to support seniors in need.

“We have worked really hard to build ourselves up and get to a stable place where we can get by,” Zina said. “Do we have to be creative in meeting our needs? Yes, we do. Do we need to reach out and ask for help? Yes, we do. Do we have to stand in line, fill out applications and do whatever we need to do to ensure we have what we need? Yes, we do. But we are grateful to Hunger Task Force for helping us live a quality life with dignity.”

“Hunger Task Force has really been there for us,” she continued. “They don’t make it complicated. Sometimes you’re not mentally and emotionally ready to reach out or navigate programs set up to help you, but Hunger Task Force removes the red tape. They help get you what you need.”

They are also concerned about potential cuts to vital federal nutrition programs. “We look at our Stockboxes as income coming into our home. We need it,” Zina stressed.

“Even with FoodShare and the Stockbox, we still have to budget and use our social security and veterans benefits to buy food. I don’t even know what we would do if those weren’t available to us,” Andrew echoed.

Zina highlighted the crucial role of these programs in freeing up funds for other essential needs like utilities, Andrew’s medication and transportation. “I’m not talking about living this luxurious life, we’re not being frivolous. I’m talking about basic necessities,” she affirmed.

Zina and Andrew’s story is a reflection of the challenges faced by many seniors today. With rising costs, those on fixed incomes are forced to make difficult choices. “There are certain realities we are having to face right now. It’s not helpful to wish things were different or spend our money like we’re not low-income,” Zina noted. “We live by a budget, we have to.”

Their experience reminds us that dignity and access to healthy food are not luxuries, but fundamental human rights, and that community support is more vital than ever.

Hunger Task Force is Milwaukee’s Free & Local food bank and Wisconsin’s anti-hunger leader. The organization’s core values are Dignity, Justice, Equity, Compassion and Stewardship. Hunger Task Force feeds people today by providing healthy and culturally appropriate food to hungry children, families and seniors in the community absolutely free of charge. Hunger Task Force also works to end future hunger by advocating for strong public policies and nutrition programs at the local, state and federal level.