DEAR EDITOR:

My grandmother is a longtime resident of Hubbard. She is 91 now, without a license to drive. When we shop for groceries, we shop in Hubbard. I am always shocked by how expensive her grocery bill is for how little she gets (she has the appetite of a 91-year-old, after all).

I told her I had the feeling that her groceries were about 25 percent more than they would be in Boardman. So, the last time I brought her shopping, I decided to take random samples of ordinary items to do a price comparison with groceries near me in Boardman, so that I can prove or disprove my hypothesis.

I was horrified, but not surprised, to find a 33 percent average price inflation in Hubbard based on 22 items when compared with grocery stores in Boardman.

Grocery stores are private companies that can set prices using their own discretion. And, when we consider that over a fifth (21.5 percent) of Hubbard residents are age 65 or older, and that a proportion of these seniors are likely on a fixed income with limited mobility (and public transportation is hardly reliable), grocery prices this high seem like exploitation of senior citizens.

Should necessities like food and other grocery items be at the mercy of private interests, or is it time to re-examine what’s private and what’s public?

SAMANTHA YANNUCCI

Youngstown