INDIANAPOLIS — Seniors aged 60 and older in certain Indiana counties who have a household income either at or below 130% of the current federal poverty income guidelines are encouraged to sign up for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides free food to seniors.
Those who are eligible must meet the income criteria and live in Allen, Brown, Crawford, Dearborn, DeKalb, Dubois, Elkhart, Gibson, Hendricks, Huntington, Johnson, LaGrange, Lake, LaPorte, Lawrence, Marion, Marshall, Martin, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Ohio, Owen Orange, Perry, Porter, Posey, Spencer, St. Joseph, Steuben, Switzerland, Vanderburgh, Warren or Whitley counties.
Through this program, in Indiana, 5,560 seniors can receive free food. Due to the population of eligible seniors changing frequently, Indiana maintains a waiting list to ensure that 100 percent of the food packages are used each month.
If the state does not achieve 100 percent participation, the maximum number of individuals who can receive food packages may be reduced. State health official estimate that about 100,000 potentially eligible seniors in the state are not enrolled in the program.
Commodity Supplemental Food program works to improve the health of those eligible individuals by providing them with nutritious USDA foods. The monthly packages include animal protein, plant-based protein, fruits, vegetables, starches, milk, grains and cheese.
More information about CSFP and how to apply can be found online at https://www.in.gov/isdh/24779.htm. A map of CSFP service areas and contact information can be found by clicking here.
