'It looked like the Oklahoma land rush.'

I

n the summer of '76, Amarillo senior citizens produced 77,000 pounds of food on their five-acre vegetable garden, 12 miles east of the city.

With continued help from local officials, they're looking forward to a bigger vegetable crop this summer.

The garden project was an ambitious undertaking, even for the over 6,000 members of the Amarillo Senior Citizens Association.

When the idea for a community garden was first proposed, no one really knew whether there would be enough interest among senior citizens to make the venture successful.

There was. And now, those who shared the harvest like to tell older residents in other communities about the experience.

County Land

The land used by the Amarillo seniors for their garden belongs to Potter County, part of the old Amarillo Air Force Base.

Potter County officials authorized use of a county maintainer to level the land and a tractor for plowing the soil. They also provided fertilizer and purchased plastic pipe for a four-inch water line to the acreage.

"Next, we had to decide how to divide the property into small plots," said Judge Branch T. Archer, who helped to launch the project. "Arbitrarily, we settled on plots of 20 x 50 feet.

"As word got around, senior citizens in the Amarillo area began to ask about reserving space in the gar

"Farmer" and Texas-style squash.

den. One by one, 150 families signed up for all of the 160 individual plots."

Meanwhile, members of the senior association had been canvassing seed stores and greenhouses for donations of seed and plants. The response was "very satisfying," according to Gus Keith, an association board member. He said they also received cash contributions for seed including a check for $100.

"Of course, many of the gardeners provided their own seeds and plants," Mr. Keith added.

Planting Day

On May 21, the date for planting ceremonies, scores of elderly persons arrived early, with gardening tools in hand.

"It looked like a re-enactment of the Oklahoma land rush," Judge Archer said.

Although many of the elderly hadn't grown a vegetable garden in years, they hadn't forgotten how. They went to work, planting tomatoes, corn, peppers, squash, blackeyed peas, beans, and cucumbers.

Production exceeded expectations. Mrs. Irene Jackson, secretary of the seniors' Garden Committee, canned nearly 2,100 jars of food, including 89 quarts of black-eyed peas. Bernice Mitchell, housemother for the Amarillo Child Care Association, filled three freezers with vegetablesenough to nourish her six young wards for months.

Some harvested more food than they could freeze or can. J. L. Williamson and his wife gave away 150 messes of vegetables while canning or freezing 210 jars and packages for themselves.

Dollar Yield

It was estimated by County Agent Gaines Franks that the market value of the vegetables produced on the plots ranged from $135 to $250, averaging $185 a plot.

After the last crops were gathered in, the seniors held award ceremonies to honor those gardeners with the "biggest tomatoes," "the best blackeyed pea patch"-even the "weediest" plot.

Judge Archer admits he's "very proud" of the garden project, but he adds, "Any community can do exactly what we've done here."

He might also admit that things move on a big scale when the County Judge is a "card-carrying member of the senior citizens association."

Public utility providers have become increasingly aware of the impact of rapidly rising costs on elderly households as rates have increased and were exacerbated by the unusually cold winter. While there was little the individual companies could do to lower the rates for households, some companies, concerned over the well-publicized tragedies resulting from termination of power supplies for nonpayment, are now experimenting with programs to help alleviate these problems.

A group of electric power companies, subsidiaries of the general Public Utilities Corporation, serving about half of the land area of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, have instituted two programs. One involves the designation of a third party for notification prior to the disconnection of power for nonpayment of bills; the other adjusts the payment due date for older households to conform to receipt of the social security check.

Under the first program, following general media notice to the public at large, a double post card is sent to each utility customer. One half explains the third party disconnection notification program which permits the customer to designate a relative, friend, clergyman, physician, ог agency to be notified before the electric power is disconnected. The card explains that this does not make the designated third party responsible for the payment in any way. The second half, a company prepaid, pre-addressed return post card provides for

complete identification of the customer and the third party.

The electric company then sends a letter to the designated third party explaining the program and requesting approval of the designation with no payment obligation. If the third party agrees, the customer's account is flagged and the third party is automatically notified before the power is disconnected for nonpayment. Presumably, the third party would investigate to determine whether nonpayment is due to forgetfulness, illness, accident, or lack of funds, and would secure necessary help.

The program will be republicized periodically and customers will be canvassed annually for new or revised third party designations.

The second program permits 65+ social security recipients, upon presentation of the Medicare identification card, to have their present payment due dates adjusted to conform to the usual date of receipt of their social security check. Bills currently carrying due dates between the 1st and the 6th of the month are then due on the 6th. Bills carrying payment due dates between the 6th and the 15th of the month remain unchanged. Bills due between the 15th and the end of the month have the due date postponed until the 6th of the following month.

There has been too little experience with these programs to make final evaluations of their impact but similar, small scale, voluntary programs seem to have had beneficial effects.

New York State

Reports Effect

of Fuel Bills

(continued from page 13)

Mrs. Lou Glasse, Director of the State Office for the Aging, has urged the Senate Special Committee on Aging to help establish an Elderly Consumer Price Index (ECPI) which would reflect the increased weight of fuel, utility, and other costs in the older American's budget. Such an index should effectively represent the profound differences in the cost of living by region. The ECPI would then become the basis for periodic increases in social security and SSI benefits, thus providing a direct means of cash assistance to the elderly.

In a letter to Senator Frank Church, Chairman of the Senate Committee, Ms. Glasse urged broadened eligibility levels which would include the large group of older persons who are slightly above the poverty level but marginally existing under the impact of escalating food, medical, and energy costs. "Older Americans," she stated, "are independent, are determined to be selfsufficient. Government must respond in time of crisis."

Special procedures to speedily dispense $200 million in energy crisis funds for the poor and near poor have been announced by the Community Services Administration, the Federal anti-poverty agency.

Basic purpose of the emergency funds is to relieve part of the high energy costs which have fallen heavily on the poor and near poor, especially the elderly, because of severe weather and high energy prices.

Congress has established the formula under which the funds will be allocated to each State. The Congressional formula takes account of population-weighted heating degree days, the number of elderly households with incomes no higher than 125 percent of the CSA poverty guidelines, the number of poor and near poor households and the relative cost of energy in each State.

(The near poor are defined as households with income no higher than 125 per cent of the poverty guidelines.)

Although funds have been allocated to each State under the formula, the State's governor will have to request them to obtain the funds.

Each State receiving a share of the special energy funds must agree to provide support of up to 10 per cent of the allocated Federal funds to administer the special energy project within that State. Congress stipulated in the bill that none of the $200 million could be used for administration; all of it must go to pay energy costs of eligible households.

Under the special appropriation

bill and CSA regulations, no household can receive more than a onetime payment of up to $250.

Two basic types of households are eligible, assuming they meet the income limit.

The first is a household whose utility service has been cut off or threatened with cutoff or has been unable to get fuel delivered because of an inability to pay fuel bills.

The other is a household which paid its energy bills, but with difficulty.

The payments will go directly to utility companies and fuel dealers, except for a $50 payment which may be made to an eligible household which paid its fuel bills through financial sacrifice.

No household can be paid more than the total of its utility bills since October, 1976 or $250, whichever is less.

The special crisis intervention project will expire August 30, 1977. Any money which cannot be effectively spent by that date will be used for CSA home weatherization within that State. Congress also voted an additional $82.5 million for CSA's regular Energy Conservation Program at the same time it approved the special $200 million.

The governor can designate which local agencies will administer the special energy project in the State.

In a memorandum to the governors explaining the project, CSA Director Graciela Olivarez notes that the Congressional bill and CSA rules provide that community action agen

cies which have run effective energy conservation projects should be given priority consideration as local administering agencies.

Before final approval of a State's special grant, a brief State Funding Plan must be submitted, outlining where the special energy funds will be spent and how local projects will be monitored to assure that funds are properly used within guidelines for benefit of the eligible poor and near poor.

Utility companies which will be paid with the special energy funds must also agree to certain conditions. Among them:

• The bill owed will be reduced by the full amount of payment from the special energy funds.

• For the remaining balance a deferred payment plan will be offered to the customer.

• No reconnection charge will be made unless such a charge was company practice prior to May 5, 1977.

• No security deposit will be required unless such a deposit was required by State regulation or law before May 5, 1977 and any such deposit must be included in the deferred payment plan.

• Services will be reconnected after the above requirements are met.

CSA is the overall administering agency for the special energy appropriation voted by the Congress and signed into law by President Carter in early May in the wake of the past severe winter.