Social Security Stories Project

08/14/2013

"We have so many senior citizens come in with a little box of this or a little basket of that. One or the other has passed away or moved into assisted living, or they’re moving to an apartment near a son or daughter, or they simply need a few extra dollars to get them through that week. My heart rings out for these older people.”

Calvin Dodge, 77, Damariscotta It seems that Calvin Dodge has always had an eye for history. His history column in the local newspaper, the Lincoln County News, is a popular feature. The piles of p...

07/25/2013

Our first interview in Penobscot County! Read Joan Nestler's memories of visiting the Roosevelts at the White House.

Joan Nestler remembers not only her life during years before the Depression spread across America; she remembers the man who worked to help people through it—Franklin Roosevelt, and his wife, Elean...

07/17/2013

Our Social Security Stories Project was featured in AARP's July/August 2013 Bulletin. See the full story below.

07/16/2013

Asked how elderly people coped in the days before Social Security was signed into law (1935), Jolan said, “I don’t remember them moving in with any of their kids. I think they just ate bread and potatoes. Or some of them took in boarders, you know, young single men. Or they would develop something that had been a hobby and try to make it work for them. It was really very hard. I was very lucky; I was under a safe roof and there were three meals a day.”

Jolan Frazzetta is very happy with her Social Security payment each month. It helps make life easier for her and others who live in the senior home in Waldoboro. Her happiness with this vital part ...

07/05/2013

SSSP will be at the St. Andrew's Fair for Outreach in Newcastle ME from 9am -2pm tomorrow. Come on by and learn more about the Project!

07/02/2013

Check out this article on Social Security from AARP!

Public Policy InstituteIn the early 1930s, before Social Security was created, many older Americans were destitute or depended on help from family and friends for basic needs like food and shelter...

06/25/2013

Seniors in San Antonio, Texas, worry that Social Security benefits may not be enough to keep them out of poverty: http://ow.ly/mnhDC

Many people work their entire lives and expect to be able to take it easy, with the help of Social Security, once they retire. Josie Saucedo added,...

06/24/2013

Social Security Stories Project interviewer Kate McCormick will be speaking at Coastal Community Center in Damariscotta tomorrow at 9:30am.

06/20/2013

employee reflects on the importance of to her family: http://ow.ly/me1XC

"When I was just beginning my summer between 8th and 9th grade June 1970, we found out that my father had 6 months to live. He had gone to our...

06/13/2013

It is important that is your story is heard as part of our country’s history. Visit www.socialsecuritystories.org

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06/12/2013

June has a grade school education. She worked as a housekeeper and cleaner. Her husband was employed at the local newspaper. Now widowed, June survives off her benefits. Read June's story: http://ow.ly/lVi0r

June Genthner’s 152-year-old home is filled with family memorabilia: pictures, mementoes of trips away, collected china. She glances around and...

06/04/2013

Karen F.'s blind grandmother recognized her check by memorizing the feel of its brown paper envelope. Read Karen's Social Security story: http://ow.ly/lHOlu

Karen Filler has been aware of Social Security most of her life. To begin, she carries two specific memories. “My father died when he was in his...