SEATTLE — Their first stop was Paul Alexander’s place. He is 68, a retired bank-loan processor. By the federal poverty marker, Alexander is doing pretty well
His monthly retirement math breaks down like this: Social Security, $1,800. Citibank pension, $359. That totals $2,159.
His apartment at The Reserve at Renton senior-living complex costs him $1,276 a month, which includes utilities. Additional monthly costs include $99 for low-income health coverage; $50 for his cellphone.
That leaves him with $481 a month for everything else. Not being able to get around much because he needs a hip replacement, Alexander does watch a lot of TV, a cheap way to pass the time. That’s around $50 a month for basic channels.
He lives in the apartment with his cat, Bart, who doesn’t show his presence to visitors. In his family, he says, there is an adult disabled son, a stepdaughter, a former wife from long ago.
The feds have poverty for an individual at an income of $12,060 a year, and Alexander is at $25,908, twice as much. So this is one version of the American dream.
For him, it means partaking of the Sound Generations Meals on Wheels program, which last year delivered some 410,000 meals to more than 2,300 people.
Sound Generations used to be called Senior Services, and it’s one of 12 groups that benefit from reader donations to The Seattle Times Fund For The Needy.
An agency such as Sound Generations can help seniors with everything from minor home repairs to shuttle services to caregiver support.
With baby boomers retiring, King County’s senior population is expected to double from 2008 to 2025.
Boomers haven’t exactly planned ahead. Only 55 percent have saved any money for retirement, according to the Insured Retirement Institute, a nonprofit composed of 150,000 finance professionals.
Once, a few years ago, Alexander had $30,000 in savings from the sale of his home. That $30,000 just kept getting smaller and smaller, with this and that in expenses.
“I’d say I had a good life,” says Alexander, who’s not given to dwelling on things.
He is the first stop for John and Lois Sparr, who every Wednesday bring Alexander his nine frozen Meals on Wheels.
He always requests nine meals, from choices such as pork patty, chicken casserole, Swedish meatballs, burrito or baked fish.
They come in microwaveable cardboard containers and each dinner has one of those generic-looking labels slapped on the top, all print, all black-and-white. No need for any elaborate color graphics.
John Sparr is 76; Lois is 75. They have done all right, they’re in good physical shape, and now they’re giving back, as is the wont with volunteer types who make such a program work.
John retired as an executive for the Anheuser-Busch distributor in Palm Springs, Calif. The couple moved up to this area “because that’s where the grandkids are.”
Every Wednesday morning they show up at the Renton Senior Activity Center and wait for the arrival of a van loaded with the frozen meals.
On this day, 559 meals arrive, and they are stacked and sorted on tables for the 45 people getting the food. They can order seven or 14 meals, and some households, with a couple, get double that amount.
Then meals are sorted into canvas bags, and off go the 10 volunteer drivers.
There is a suggested donation of $5 per meal.
“We never ask for donations,” says John Sparr. “They’re just so appreciative of getting the meals.”
