Another $30,000 on the menu for Central PA Food Bank seniors

A gift from Highmark Blue Shield to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is helping ensure the needy elders of central Pennsylvania get nutritious food this season.

According to a Highmark news release, $30,000 was awarded to the food bank’s ElderShare program, which supports low-income seniors with a monthly box of healthy food. The box contains about 30 pounds of shelf-stable food distributed during the last week of the month, when food resources are limited.

“The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is incredibly grateful for this tremendous gift from Highmark Blue Shield,” food bank Executive Director Joe Arthur said in the release. “Highmark’s support over the years has been instrumental in the food bank’s ability to expand services in response to the continued need for emergency food.”

Last year, the food bank distributed 67,000 ElderShare boxes to 7,500 senior citizens through a network of 74 program partners, the release said.

For the State College Food Bank, some of this funding could trickle down to its own elderly assistance program. The food bank operates the Commodity Supplemental Food Program through the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, State College Executive Director Carol Pioli said Monday.

Currently, she said, the food bank distributes 22 boxes of food to seniors in the area. The food in the boxes isn’t meant to provide a complete diet, she said, but is a good source of nutrients.

Boxes are typically distributed every third Tuesday, she said, and contain whole wheat pasta, cereal, cans of vegetables and juice.

Seniors on the program have to provide proof of income and must be at 130 percent of the federal poverty level, she said, meaning a household of one earns $15,301 per year.

“(The program) is a good thing,” she said. “It really does help the seniors who might be lacking on a fixed income.”

This story was originally published February 15, 2016 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Another $30,000 on the menu for Central PA Food Bank seniors."