You Can Feed More Seniors
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
By: Misty Robertson

Earn Agency Alignment Points for participating in the Senior Box Program

The Houston Food Bank has extra food commodity boxes to distribute to seniors for the next three months (April to June), and we need your help. You can provide food boxes from the USDA/TDA into the pantries of your income-eligible clients who are 60 years of age (and older).

Agencies are asked to recruit 50 or more income-eligible seniors and book a distribution with the Food Bank. The Houston Food Bank staff does the rest.
Contact: Kathy Lipman at 713-476-8398

It’s easy to participate*
1.    Submit the preferred date/time in April that works for you
2.    The Food Bank will confirm that date/time by sending a flier to you to print/post/distribute to announce the food distribution
3.    Please get the word out to the community about the food distribution
4.    On the agreed upon date, the Houston Food Bank Senior Box Program staff will handle the distribution (includes completing applications and handing out food boxes)

* Participating agencies receive Bonus Points for the Allocation Alignment System (10 Bonus Points in Harris County and 20 Bonus Points outside of Harris County)

Senior eligibility
Income guidelines have just increased, and that means some seniors who have not qualified before, might qualify under the new guidelines:

•    Household of 1: TOTAL income can be no more than $1308
•    Household of 2: TOTAL income can be no more than $1760

Senior box contents
Income-eligible seniors receive a monthly box of shelf-stable food (valued at $50) and a 2-lb block of cheese.  NOTE: In May clients will also receive a bag of no-fat dry milk with the box of food and cheese.

2 – 64-ounce juice bottles
2 – 12-ounce shelf-stable milk cartons
2 – boxes of dry cereal; or 2 bags of hot cereal; or 1 bag of oats
2 – bags/boxes of pasta; or 1 bag of rice
4 – cans of vegetables
2 – cans of fruit
1 – bag of dried beans OR 1 jar of peanut butter
1 or 2 – cans/bags of protein