New food assistance program for seniors launching this summer

U.S. SEN. Jack F. Reed said eligible Rhode Island seniors will be able to receive free, bulk boxes of healthy food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture this summer. / PBN FILE PHOTO
U.S. SEN. Jack F. Reed said eligible Rhode Island seniors will be able to receive free, bulk boxes of healthy food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture this summer. / PBN FILE PHOTO

PROVIDENCE – Eligible Rhode Island seniors in need will be able to receive free, bulk boxes of healthy food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture this summer to prepare at home.

The packages of food, meant to help seniors supplement their diet, will be distributed thanks to a new federal-state partnership made possible by U.S. Sen. Jack F. Reed.

The federally-funded Commodity Supplemental Food Program is being administered by the Rhode Island Community Food Bank in conjunction with the state Division of Elderly Affairs.
It provides monthly food assistance specifically for low-income seniors.

The contents of the box will change each month, based on what is available through the USDA, but will include a variety of canned vegetables and fruit, beans, cereal, pasta, rice and other items. The food package provided by CSFP is intended to supplement the diet of seniors, providing healthy options to help seniors meet their dietary needs for essential nutrients like protein, calcium, potassium, magnesium and fiber.

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Eligibility for the food boxes is based on income and age. Recipients must be at least 60 years old and their monthly income must be less than 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Guideline (not exceeding $1,276 per month if single or $1,726 per month if married).

In 2013, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank distributed 9.9 million pounds of food, and each month more than 63,000 Rhode Islanders seek food assistance. According to the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger, one out of eight Rhode Island seniors faced the threat of hunger in 2013.

“This is a proven, effective program that fills important nutrition gaps for hungry seniors who may not be able to afford enough healthy food on their own. I am pleased to help bring this program to Rhode Island. And I appreciate the hard work of the Rhode Island Division of Elderly Affairs and Andrew Schiff and his team at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank for playing critical roles in getting it up and running. The Food Bank does an outstanding job of distributing food and serving people with respect and dignity, and I am hopeful we can raise awareness about this program and help reach more seniors in need,” Reed said in a statement.

Said Schiff, “At the Food Bank, twenty percent of the 63,000 people we serve each month are over 60 years old. “Thanks to Senator Reed’s efforts, the CSFP program has been expanded to include Rhode Island and six other states. This funding will allow us to partner with the Division of Elderly Affairs and the USDA to provide this vulnerable population with healthy food and nutrition education to help them remain independent and healthy.”

While the cost to the USDA to provide the food package is about $20 per month, the average retail value of the package provided to seniors often exceeds $50 per month.

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