CSFP Summer Road Show
It’s not exactly the summer concert series, but the Hunger-Free Pennsylvania (HFPA) team is hitting the road for its Federal Regulation §247.34 – Management Review of the local Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) programs.
At least once every two years, HFPA visits each of the 17 lead agencies [a.k.a: regional food banks]. Executive Director Sheila Christopher and Assistant Director Thomas Dubs hit the road to visit those that run the program in their service area. The goal is to ensure program activities meet program requirements and objectives.
CSFP has been a centerpiece of efforts to improve the health of low-income elderly persons at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious food packages. In Pennsylvania, 36,200 utilize CSFP and more than 3,800 seniors are on the waiting list at any given time.
Keeping the program running smoothly is critical to those in need.
“CSFP is one of the most regulated programs I’ve seen in my 35 years of fighting hunger, so we take very seriously our role in reviewing certification procedures, nutrition education, civil rights compliance, food storage practices, inventory controls and financial management systems,” Christopher said.
“We also view this as an opportunity to spend time with staff,” she continued. “Our visits provide them with the opportunity to vent, ask questions and share funny stories, and it gives us all time to focus on the hard work we do to provide low-income seniors with a monthly food box.”
Hunger-Free Pennsylvania administers CSFP in the commonwealth, making it the single largest provider of meals to older Pennsylvanians. They work in partnership with more than 1,200 agencies to deliver 36,200 food packages every month to needy seniors across the state. (More than 370,000 Pennsylvania seniors are actually eligible for CSFP benefits.)
The program is essential, which is what makes spending time together so invaluable, even though the days are long and the HFPA team is away from home for long stretches, putting plenty of miles on the road. But if that’s what it takes to feed Pennsylvanians in need, then the folks at Hunger-Free Pennsylvania and their partners are going to do it.
So be sure to wave when you see them passing through your neighborhood.
· June 17 - Indiana County
· June 24 - Cambria County
· June 25 - Lehigh Valley
· June 26 - Reading
· July 12 - Westmoreland County
· July 17-18 - Philadelphia
· July 22 - Butler
· August 14 - Pittsburgh
· August 21 - Mercer