Yesterday was the first day the Territorial Administration on Aging (TAOA) distributed cooked food to senior citizens at designated centers — this instead of handing out food vouchers, which had been the practice for years.

Seniors — some arriving around 8:30a.m. at the Pago Pago center— were told by a TAOA representative that food distribution would start around 10a.m. but Samoa News witnessed that the food plates didn’t arrive until after 11a.m.

Seniors were also informed earlier that they could not take the food plates home, but the TAOA representative later told seniors to take their food plates home because they had been waiting for such a long time.  The plates consisted of meatballs in sauce, rice, a veggie and half an orange.   (See photo of food plate on front page of today’s issue.)

One senior called out to a Samoa News reporter asking him to take a photo of the plate he got after waiting the whole morning. The senior, a man, complained that the food plate was not worth it.  Previously seniors received food vouchers valued at $40 each month.  With two food distributions scheduled per month, each plate is taking the place of $20 worth of vouchers. The second food distribution for June is scheduled for this Thursday

Besides the Pago Pago center, Samoa News also received complaints from two other centers about the late distribution and how long seniors had waited.  

Samoa News wasn’t able to immediately reach the TAOA director for comment, but will do a follow up on the story.

It should be pointed out that there are still seniors who are unhappy with the change in the food program and would prefer food vouchers each individual can choose what they want to buy. However, there some seniors who say that they are “still thankful” for this blessing.

The change from vouchers to cooked food came about after a federal mandate required American Samoa to follow the same regulations set up for mainland programs.