Commodity Senior Food Program Impacts Arizona Seniors
Meet Susan Holland; a professional ballerina from St. Louis, Missouri, turned dance studio owner in Mesa, Arizona. Susan and her dog, Teddie, live in a one-bedroom apartment in The Orchard Senior Living Community in Mesa.
Susan during her Proffesional Ballerina career
About 10 years ago, Susan suffered a stroke, permanently impairing the left side of her body. “I went from owning and running classes at a dance studio, to relying on a wheelchair and an assistant to help me with my day to day tasks. I was devastated.” Because of her age and the limited mobility she was left with after the stroke, Susan had to sell her dance studio and focus on her new life. Her daughters helped her find The Orchard Senior Living Community, a place where she could live independently but still have access to services that could help her do things like drive to the grocery store. The Orchard is also a special place because it is where United Food Bank runs their only direct-distributions.
United Food Bank volunteers helping a Senior get her CSFP and produce boxes
United Food Bank started participating in the Commodity Senior Food Program (CSFP) in September 2021, launching a pilot program at The Orchard. Every month, United Food Bank distributes CSFP food boxes to qualifying seniors in need of food assistance. Many seniors line-up to socialize and receive their food boxes, while the home-bound neighbors have their food boxes delivered to them by a United Food Bank volunteer. CSFP is a federally funded food distribution program that is designed to improve health with nutritious foods. Check out this video to see what’s inside a CSFP box and learn more about the program:
Susan has been participating in the CSFP distributions at The Orchards since they started. Her apartment is right across the walkway of where the distribution is. “I saw them setting up one day and went over to see what they were doing. When I learned they were here with food boxes I thought ‘that could really help me’ and sure enough, I met the eligibility requirements. Relying on only Social Security checks every month is really challenging. I have to be really careful about my spending and have to save anywhere I can. Having these food boxes every month really helps me save money so I can have more to spend on other things I need.”
Along with her physical impairments, Susan also suffers from digestive problems that prohibit her from eating certain foods. “I eat a lot of pasta sauce. Tomatoes are something that I can always eat without any issues. In my food boxes, I always get multiple tomato items, like canned tomatoes and pasta sauce that are so great to have. The peanut butter is also really nice because it is a great source of protein and another thing I can eat without problems.”
Anything Susan can’t eat in the box, she shares with her neighbors. “It’s really great living here. It is such a community. I am friends with everyone on my block and that’s just what we do. I have told many of my neighbors about this program and took them to get signed up too. We all will cook for each other and share what we make from the food we get,” shared Susan.
CSFP Box
United Food Bank recently received a grant to supplement the senior boxes with additional nutritious foods. Every month, in addition to the box of canned and dry goods, seniors are provided with fresh protein (ground turkey or ground beef) and fresh produce boxes. Susan was emotional when sharing the impact of these additions. “Having fresh meat helps me so much. I will cook a big batch of pasta sauce and add the meat to it. I can then freeze some of it up so it will last me for multiple weeks. The extra protein really helps me to save money during the month and eat better. I use the money I save to buy Teddie’s dog food.”
United Food Bank is happy to help feed our seniors in need. Seniors are the fastest growing food insecure population in the United States, with 1 in 14 seniors in Arizona suffering from food insecurity. Through United Food Bank’s participation in the Commodity Senior Food Program, we were able to provide over 27,000 meals to Seniors in 2022.
We can’t feed Arizonans without your support! With your donation to United Food Bank, we can continue to provide high-quality, nutritious food to seniors in our community. Find out more about how to make your impact today, at give.unitedfoodbank.org.
Written by Sarah Bathe
