The Michigan Bridge Card Makes a Difference in the Lives of Many Seniors
MiCAFE has many wonderful stories of how a senior's life was made better by receiving the food assistance benefits. Here are a few seniors' stories of how a Bridge Card helps them each month.
Here is what other MiCAFE participants are saying:
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"Thank you! It's very hard to have worked most of your life and not feel useful now." -MiCAFE Client
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"There are seniors who are just barely making it, and have to make choices. Many don't have prescription coverage, so they decide whether they're going to buy food or prescriptions. Sometimes they buy a little of each, and have to decide what they can live without. I received a call from a lady who was not eating any meat because she couldn't afford it, and she was looking for help." -Lowanna Steinman, MiCAFE Application Assistant
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"We can buy so much more food since we got this information. We buy a lot more fruits and vegetables now. This information was so good, it really helped us and we're being a lot more healthy now." -MiCAFE Client
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"I like the way that they put together all of this information. It's very helpful and informative." -MiCAFE Client
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A recently divorced woman called the MiCAFE Call Center. She was having trouble communicating with her Eligibility Specialist at the Department of Human Services. MiCAFE was able to work with her and her caseworker to get her $64 a month. This is what she had to say:
"Thank you so much for your patience and time to hear me out. I really appreciate your effort; I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. You have changed the way that I have been experiencing about the service."
Testimonials from Healthy Aging Project Participants
One Client's story
One client from stated that she had no previous knowledge of how much food she was eating. Having looked at the measurements given in the portion handout she discovered that she had consumed more calories than anticipated. This made her look for calorie information on the fast food she had been consuming. Armed with this information she began to make changes in what she ordered and started eating more fruit. At this time she has lost only a small amount of weight but she feels like a new person. When asked what made the difference she stated, "I had someone who could explain portions to me in a way I could understand it." Now, she watches what her friends eat. She also stated, "It’s not like I don't still eat that stuff, but at least now I know what I am eating."
Sugar Intake
A client who lives with her son had a real problem with her blood sugar. No matter what she did it seemed as if she could not keep it under control. Well, after she received the DASH diet she began to look at what her daughter-in-law was cooking for her. The amount of sugar and salt in her food was off the charts. She found that eating prepared foods (canned mostly) actually made her feel bad and tired. She requested that the entire family move away from canned and processed foods to fresh food when possible, her doctor noticed a decrease in her glucose levels and that she was controlling her diabetes better. The client stated, "I just feel better and more in control of my health. If no one tells you what is going on then how will you know?"
A Family Affair
There was one younger client who had a son. He was active but overweight. The client (as part of a discussion) read off the label on the food she was feeding him. She was shocked to discover that the food was full of sugar and fat and that the portions she was giving him were double the suggested serving size. She was giving him a full can of spaghetti not realizing that there were 2.5 servings in the can. "No one tells you these things. It’s like they don’t want you to know. I never used to read labels, now I read everything’s. I also did not know that the ingredients are listed by amount. I was giving my son fruit juice that has more sugar in it than pop and letting him have as much as he wanted because I thought it was good for him. I just didn’t know. But I know now."
Additional Information
Find Out How MiCAFE Works
Do you want to find out what MiCAFE is all about directly from a MiCAFE volunteer? Find a MiCAFE Site near you.
Call MiCAFE Today!
1-877-664-2233
THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS!!
The MiCAFE program is extremely grateful to work with such dedicated site volunteers! Their continued hard work and compassion for helping others makes us truly proud.
