Short diary - but hopefully helpful to someone.
When I was young– we were really poor – dirt poor farmers and we use to receive a box of USDA commodity food every once in a while (I was young and didn’t pay much attention). The best I can remember we got powdered milk my mom used for cooking – we got gelatinous canned beef that my mom turned into gourmet meals – we got a block of cheese. It must have been needed, because my parents never turned it down.
I was young then – now I’m older and the issue of food insecurity remains an issue.
As noted by some statistics by Feeding America, it is a real issue for seniors.
In 2013, 10 percent of seniors (4.2 million older adults age 65 and older) lived below the poverty line.
In 2013, 2.9 million (9%) households with seniors experienced food insecurity. 1.1 million (9%) households composed of seniors living alone experienced food insecurity.
The number of food insecure seniors is projected to increase by 50% when the youngest of the Baby Boom Generation reaches age 60 in 2025.
This past weekend I spent time at the food bank volunteering - putting food stuffs in boxes for a program I didn't know existed for seniors who live in poverty.
Commodity Supplemental Food Program - Nutrition Assistance for Seniors
The boxes we were packing had probably $50 worth of food in each box
-each box weighed about 30 lbs.
If you know someone who could use some help this is a Federal program, not a state program. I didn't know this program existed and it is possible that there are others who do not know it exists.
Here’s the overview page
Here’s the Eligibility/Contacts page
If someone needs help - this is a small drop in the bucket - but may be better than nothing.
If you know of other programs - that others may not know about - post them in the comments, so we can help others. Maybe as a community we can share much needed info.