Portraits of Hunger in Iowa--Nateiga's Story
A Series
This column was written by Jason Walsmith and me. Jason and I conducted the interviews, and all photographs were taken by Jason with the permission of the people being photographed. We conducted several interviews, and may do more as part of our series. This column is also posted at Jason’s Substack, The Racontourist. Please consider subscribing to The Racontourist, or even better, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Jason is also a member of the celebrated Des Moines band, the Nadas.
This work was facilitated by Luke Elzinga with DMARC. Our thanks to Luke and other members of the DMARC staff for their help and guidance. Thanks also to those we spoke with who were visitors. We are honored that you allowed us to help tell your stories, and we hope sharing them will make a difference in public perception and policies related to hunger in America.
On Friday of last week, Jason and I went to the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s (DMARC) food pantry on Army Post Road. We wanted to learn how our fellow Iowans were doing during the government shutdown, and on the eve of SNAP payments due to be issued in November being stopped.
We conducted several interviews, are writing them up, and will include them as part of this series. Check out our previous two stories here at Deep Midwest or at The Racontourist.
A recording of our conversation with Nateiga is below, followed by a lightly edited transcript. Please listen to the audio and join us to share the emotions that can’t be captured by the written word.
Bob: Okay, and so your first name is?
Nateiga: Nateiga.
Bob: And would you spell that for me?
Nateiga: N A T E I G A.
Bob: And it’s okay if Jason takes some photos?
Nateiga: Yeah.
Bob: Okay, so tell us a little bit about yourself.
Nateiga: I’m a widow. 33-year-old widow of five kids. Um, had my first at 14. So, you know, I’ll be…gonna be grandma. Disability. Kind of just been dealing with stuff lately. A life lately, I guess.
Bob: And it’s hard. And so how are the kids doing?
Nateiga: We’re just now starting to get back on track, honestly. Um, I moved on…out the house cuz I found my husband deceased. So, I moved em out the house and then so we just got new house and so moved to new school. And they’re doing a little bit better.
Bob: It must have been hard. And so what does this kind of support from the community mean to you, the food?
Nateiga: It comes, it comes in how should I say it…when I think about sports, how I can say it wise…I think it comes in clutch-- it comes in in when it needs to come in, like when you need it the most..I would say, like you never think, I never been to stuff like this, so this is pretty neat.
Bob: And so this is your first time here?
Nateiga: Um hmm (yes).
Bob: And and so are you on SNAP?
Nateiga: Yes.
Bob: And so is it are you concerned about what’s happening with it?
Nateiga: A little bit yeah, just because a lot of families are going to go hungry, and the pantries are going gonna be super busy. Obviously, so they’re probably going to be low as well, but hopefully they get it together and um get it figured out sooner rather than later.
Bob: And so, why do you think that so many people have a hard time making a go of it, making a living today?
Nateiga: Uh I’m I’m gonna say, uh COVID. People got lazy, people didn’t stop. COVID helped a lot. You didn’t have to really work during COVID. You bills were paid. There’s programs that will help you pay for multiple bills. People got lazy. People, it’s hard to find jobs. People, or the the the cost of living went high. Skyrocketed and then people that like when I started as a CNA, I was getting at the most $12. Now you, people want to work as a CNA if you’re offering 20, 20 plus. And that’s not ...that is due to COVID. That’s due to COVID.
So um and there’s still there’s still hard getting CNAs to even take that because people just don’t want to, and I can honestly say like I used to go to Aldi’s because the food was, I think a reasonable price but now they’re just as as expensive as Walmart. So.
Bob: And so if you could fix things, how would you fix it?
Nateiga: I just, I think if they just lower the cost of, uh at least produce where people can actually afford to buy. I don’t… it’s crazy how something like that could be $10 and no that could be $5 but the vegetables can be $10. That’s crazy to me. But they want people to eat healthier. But it cost it costs money to eat healthier, costs a lot of money to eat healthier so.
Bob: And so if you were in control of things, what would you fix, just like the prices?
Nateiga: Yeah, I I I will fix the prices of uh produce for sure. Um the, of course keep giving families the stamps that really need them. Um but uh stamps are needed. They’re needed. They’re needed. So.
Bob: Yeah, and we don’t know what’s happening with them.
Nateiga: No. No. I I know right now we’re, nobody’s getting them. So, if you call the card, it’s telling you you’re not coming, so.
Bob: Anything I didn’t know enough to ask or anything else you’d like to share?
Nateiga: Nope. That’s pretty much...You asked some good questions.
laughter
Bob: Thank you. Nice to meet you.
Nateiga: Nice to meet you guys.
Jason: Thank you.
Look for more in this series from us—we very much appreciate each and every one of you for reading and supporting our work. Our holiday party for paid subscribers to any column written by a member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative will be on December 17 at the Harkin Institute at Drake in Des Moines. The program begins at 7:00 p.m., and our friends The Weary Ramblers will perform.
We are both proud members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Please check out our work here. Subscribe! Become a paid subscriber if you can afford it. Please and thank you. We need you. Thanks for being part of the team! Want to buy me lunch or a cup of coffee? Venmo @Robert-Leonard-238, and the last four numbers of my phone number are 3304 if you need it. I also publish Cedar Creek Nature Notes, about Violet the Dog and my adventures on our morning walks at Cedar Bluffs Natural Area in Mahaska County, Iowa.
 | A guest post by
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In the richest country in the world, the very food basket, there should never be a reason to be without food. The world got along just fine with a few millionaires, but the greedy and fool hardy that think they can make it without the working class they are literally killing off or turning into slaves, may find they too can't eat their money! What goes around, comes around!
Thank you for doing these interviews and for taking pictures of the people to whom you are talking; it helps the reader to see their face and their eyes. I cannot think of anyone who could have these conversations with more respect and empathy than you, Dr. Bob. Thank you