Human contact in short supply for many

The following is a first-person account by an individual who is helped by the Salvation Army food bank, the recipient of this year’s Be An Angel campaign. To donate, visit The Herald office, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., at 101-186 Nanaimo Ave. W., or visit www.pentictonherald.ca.

I am a grandfather and I have step children and grandchildren too.

My life is full of their noise and activity. What I notice being around the food bank is that there are many, many elderly people here in Penticton who are alone and lonely. I see so many seniors walking down the streets, walking in these doors of the food bank, their heads are down, it seems there is nothing for them.

These people are good people. They just need more than just themselves. Maybe their grandchildren are far away, on the other end of Canada and they miss them or never see them at all.

I think many of them would like to be a grandmother or grandfather for a day and help out young parents. Being around little ones gives us older people inspiration; they lift us up.

And then on the other side, I see a lot of young parents struggling; they are worried about finances, working two and three jobs just to make ends meet. The elderly people who are alone and lonely could take the kids to the park, give parents time to recuperate.

On the reservations, the young parents have elders who they honour and respect, but we Canadians — it is a much different story. We are so segregated, all in our own corners. Starving for food, yes, but starving from loneliness and isolation.

Something happened just the other day that is an illustration of just how simple this can be.

I had to go to a doctor to get my finger fixed. A single mother came in with a little boy about four years old and another one in her arms. A little table was in the middle of the room, and the four-year-old was playing with cards. I started casually playing with the little guy. Then an elderly lady came in and the little boy started taking cards out and playing with her.

The elderly lady was beaming from ear to ear by the end of it. It made us both so happy and the little boy was happy too — right to the heart.