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Columbus Senior with Rural Roots Uses Pantries, Benefits Assistance to Make Ends Meet
Allen Robinson lives in Columbus now. But make no mistake: “I’m an old country boy,” he said proudly. “My parents were country, too.”
Originally from Wayne County, Ohio, the 70-year-old senior and father of three worked in the dairy industry for years before moving to central Ohio to be with the love of his life. Now retired, he’s using food pantries to make ends meet amid growing inflation and rising rent. More recently, he’s reached out to Mid-Ohio Food Collective (MOFC) for help connecting with public assistance programs.
Allen’s food perspective is rooted in his days growing up in a small village. When he was a boy, his family and neighbors would hunt, fish, and forage in nearby forests and rivers. Allen said he learned to look out for himself from a young age.
“You were hungry, you go down the railroad track and shoot you a rabbit or go fishing. Everybody had a garden. You learned how to cook. You learned how to make a sugar sandwich with butter. Sometimes we’d shoot and eat a groundhog—now that’s country!”
Allen’s hometown is also where he met his wife and partner of more than 50 years. When she moved to central Ohio for work, the couple was long distance for about a decade before Allen decided to make the move himself. City living was a big change, he said, but it was worth it to be together.
“Call it puppy love, gemstone, your heart, your life—that’s my love. So, I came on down,” Allen said.
Over the decades that followed, Allen’s family grew to include three children. He found work packing goods in commercial warehouses around Columbus. After working hard for several decades, he retired in his early 60s.
Life hasn’t always been easy since then, he said. His income is fixed now that he’s receiving Medicare, and inflation has hit his grocery budget hard. In addition, he’s afraid his rent will go up given the quick pace of development in south Columbus.
“What does $50 a month do for you? You can’t get much. Grocery prices are going up. You get some bacon and some chicken, and it’s gone,” Allen said. “Guys older than me who retired were going on vacation, buying houses and such, lying back and enjoying the fruits of their labor. When I retire, I’m struggling.”
Transportation has also become a big challenge. Allen can’t drive for medical reasons, which makes it hard to get to doctor’s appointments. And while there’s a supermarket within walking distance of his home, crime in the area means he sometimes feels unsafe going to the store alone.
As times have gotten harder, Allen said he’s relied on food pantries to stretch his budget. He regularly visits the local Lutheran Social Services (LSS) pantry for kitchen staples such as milk and pasta. He doesn’t shop there every week, he said, and he’s careful to only take what he needs.
More recently, Allen also learned about public assistance support available through MOFC, including health care navigation. After meeting an MOFC health care navigator on a recent trip to the library, he accepted help applying for Medicaid and other programs. His health care navigator was able to guide and support him through the process, he said.
“I was trying to get into the job and family services website every day for two weeks. I’d call, and I was just hearing elevator music for hours. Somehow, she was able to get a hold of them,” Allen said. “To a lot of people, you’re just a number—a status. But I call her a friend because she still checks on me. She didn’t know me from Adam or Eve, but she cared for her client.”
Things are still tough, Allen said, but he knows that support is available in his community. While he’s still a country boy at heart, he refuses to let himself or his family go hungry if there’s help to be had.
“I never thought I’d be doing this,” Allen said. “Is it a matter of pride? Yes. Is it my pride as a man? Yes. But I am not going to starve. I’m not going to go without as long as there are food pantries.”
MOFC’s health care navigation work is made possible with support from the federal government.
This project is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $2.52 million with 100% funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.