Table of Contents
Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency partners with a federally-funded food program to provide Livingston County seniors much-needed groceries
Senior citizens in Livingston County who are short on resources to purchase the healthy foods they need have been getting a boost from the Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency (OLHSA.)
It comes in the form of a special monthly “shopping” opportunity through a federally funded program called the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) for older adults. Food and Nutrition Supervisor Allison Krys has worked with OLHSA for 23 years and knows how much members of her community need assistance with food. She is also aware of the challenges she faces getting it to them.
“Our community is aging, especially in our more rural areas,” says Allison, who loves working with older adults. “A lot of our farmers are tight knit and full of pride. They don’t want to ask for help. The need is there, but getting them to come in to get food is tricky.”
Understanding their hesitancy, Allison has set up the CSFP food distribution to resemble a mini grocery store.
“I’m a strong advocate for client choice,” she says, “so I put the food on shelves and each CSFP client can shop there once a month.”
The federal government sets guidelines for the amount and types of foods the senior shoppers can receive through CSFP, and a staff person walks each client through their options.
For example, their allocation might include eight cans of vegetables, and they can choose which vegetables they prefer. That can be especially important for people who have dietary concerns that limit what they can eat. Allison and her team stock as many varieties of foods as possible to help meet the shoppers’ needs, and there is no charge for any of the food the shoppers choose.
The big advantage of the once-a-month box of groceries clients can receive from CSFP is that they get a large quantity – about a two-week supply of food – and a good variety that can help meet their specific nutritional needs.
The store is call the Wise Room, says Allison, “…because we think of our seniors as older and wiser!”
More help through partnerships
OLHSA also partners with Gleaners Community Food Bank to operate the Shared Harvest Pantry, next door to the Wise Room. It is open five days a week to people of any age who are in need of food, and the items are available to all shoppers at no charge.
Allison credits much of the success of the pantry to the Gleaners partnership. Gleaners receives donations of surplus foods from companies throughout the region, such as Meijer and Costco. It also purchases food. And it distributes all that nourishing goodness to pantries, soup kitchens and other programs, which significantly increases both the quantity and the variety of food available to those who need it.
Through that robust partnership, the Livingston County office of OLHSA also provides a “drive through day” when perishable foods such as milk, eggs, fresh fruit and fresh vegetables are available. For people who cannot get to the pantry, five trucks distribute food at designated locations in the community each month.
When resources are available, Allison’s team can make up special packages for clients who are homeless, which could include foods that can be eaten immediately, and items that don’t require heating, refrigeration or a can opener.
Increasing eligibility
Previously, the Wise Room was open to older adults with an income at or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Line. Eligibility is based on income prior to deductions, and Allison was concerned that many people did not qualify for the program because their income was slightly more than 130%.
“We talked with seniors who didn’t qualify, based on their gross income, but they never have that full amount in hand because money is automatically deducted for medical care and other programs,” she explains. “Clients have also been struggling because food prices and property taxes have gone up. In many cases pensions have not keep up with those increases. Many clients have also lost their spouse, and the life that was once possible because two people were receiving retirement benefits and social security is no longer possible on just one person’s income.”
So Allison and others involved with the program worked to get eligibility for the senior food program raised to 150% of the Federal Poverty Line.
Quite simply, she says, “…more seniors can now get the food they need.”
The federally-funded Commodity Supplemental Food Program for seniors allocates the number of households that each community can support. OLHSA’s allocation for Livingston County is 385 people. To account for fluctuations in population and need, the organization is allowed to serve 103% of that number. Sometimes there is a waiting list for CSFP, but all seniors are welcome to “shop” at the Shared Harvest Pantry.
Working together
Allison emphasizes that there are many people responsible for the success of OLHSA’s Livingston County food programs including Gleaners staff and especially Ray Laduc and Eric Bunt, OLHSA employee Julie Madzik, and OLHSA’s assistant director of Nutrition Services Madelyne Wright.
She is also grateful for the creation of a county-wide Hunger Council nearly twenty years ago.
“Every organization that provides food in this county sits at the table,” she says. “We mentor and do peer support. We share resources and information so that we are all able to help the residents in this community to the best of our ability. The Hunger Council even runs a community garden!”
Michigan was the second state to participate in CSFP. There is also a National CSFP Association, which advocates for the needs of seniors, and Allison is proud to have served as treasurer on the program’s national board of directors.
Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency is one of the hundreds of community action agencies across the country created in the 1960s under President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Three cheers and many thanks for the creative ways Allison and all who are participating in OLHSA’s Livingston County food program are helping assure that residents in the county who need food assistance are getting it.