Eat or Electricity: 79 year old Receives Both through Food Aid and Bayit

It took Deolinda a long time to ask for help. "You see, I have my own apartment and I don't owe any money," she says almost apologetically. Then she looks down and in a small voice says: "But then there was a point when I didn't have enough to eat."

At 79 years old, Deolinda remembers better times. Her husband is a retired electrical supplies salesman and she once had an independent income, sewing furs at home. The couple owns a cozy two-bedroom apartment. Once upon a time, they used to travel to the Northern mountain district.

Then came Argentina's financial crisis in December 2001. The government had banks freeze all assets and while the peso devaluated, wiping out many people's savings. Afterwards, Deolinda and her husband were left to depend on their meager pensions.

The following year brought more difficulties. Both their daughter and their son lost their jobs and Deolinda couldn't help them. By the middle of 2002, she faced the option of either eating or paying the electricity bill. Deolinda contacted her JCC and asked for help.

The JDC enrolled Deolinda's family in the food aid program and also gives her prescribed medication. Through the Bayit Housing program, the family receives help in paying their apartment bills.

Fanning herself energetically with a piece of cardboard, wearing an elegant blue dress, Deolinda sums up her situation: "I'm too old to have a future, so I don't really worry about the situation. But I can't stop thinking about my daughter and about my grandchildren..."