Island Harvest Food Bank To Provide Free Monthly Meal Kits To Food-Insecure Senior Citizens

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Photo courtesy of Island Harvest Food Bank

Island Harvest Food Bank is participating in the USDA’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) to provide supplemental food support to low-income senior citizens in Nassau and Suffolk counties, according to Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank. The federally funded program aims to improve the health of low-income older adults (at least 60 years of age) by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA foods.

To be eligible for CSFP, adults who are 60 and older must be New York State residents and meet an income requirement of 130 percent of the federal poverty guideline. U.S. citizenship is not a requirement. Additional information concerning CSFP eligibility is at www.fns.usda.gov/csfp/csfp-fact-sheet.

Island Harvest Food Bank will administer CSFP locally to support 3,000 seniors each month through its partnership of community organizations and directly to participating senior citizen housing sites and senior centers across Long Island. It will also supply food through home delivery services. Island Harvest Food Bank will also be distributing the free meal kits under the program at its Hauppauge Distribution Center, 40 Marcus Boulevard (off Motor Parkway), Hauppauge on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Additional distribution sites will be announced shortly. For more information on Island Harvest Food Bank’s CSFP contact Marilyn Weidener at 631-873-4775 or marilyn@islandharvest.org.

Island Harvest Food Bank will provide logistical support and administration free of charge to participating organizations and their senior clients. It will help determine eligibility under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and assist seniors with the application process. The food bank will supply pre-packaged meal kits that will include a variety of foods, such as nonfat dry and shelf-stable milk, juice, cereal, rice, pasta, peanut butter, dry beans, canned meat, poultry, or fish, and canned fruits and vegetables. For a list of foods available for CSFP, visit www.fns.usda.gov/csfp/csfp-foodsavailable.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with Federal Civil Rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA. 

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at: How to File a Complaint, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

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