MEMPHIS, Tenn — Janice Crawford, a Raleigh resident who said her power tends to stay off for multiple days when storms roll through Memphis, is dealing with food spoiling once again after Friday's storms.
Crawford is waiting for the day she gets reimbursed for what she loses in the refrigerator when the power goes out.
“You know, just because I make a decent salary doesn’t mean I can keep buying my food over and over again,” Crawford said.
On two separate occasions, her power went out just before a big event.
“You got 3 to 400 dollars’ worth of meat because you’re having a big event and there’s nowhere to take it,” Crawford said. “Because my mom's power’s out, my brother’s power’s out, my best friend's power’s out, my other friend in Cordova, her power's out, so there’s nowhere to take it.”
She said she understands why the government reimburses some for their groceries but wishes there was a system for everyone.
“We put in the form to get reimbursed, but it said you had to have a case number and had to have an EBT card because the way they were going to reimburse it was to put it on your benefits card,” Crawford said. “So, I just think that that’s unfair that there is nothing set up for us just because of the fact that we don’t qualify for subsidy.”
MLGW partnered with the Mid-South Food Bank to provide food to families in need on Friday afternoon, but the line was long for some customers. On top of that, residents will not know the food options until they have waited in line and get to the front, where the food is placed directly in their trunk.
“That’s another thing about a food drive, you know they give away what’s been given to them, but it may not necessarily meet your health needs of what you’re trying to replace in your home,” Crawford said.
This, coupled with her two-hour wait for food, pushed her to fight even harder for grocery reimbursements for everyone.
She’s grateful the Mid-South Food Bank was able to help her and others but hopes the government or MLGW can make future plans to reimburse households that lose food when the power goes out.