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4 min read 4 stepsMay 9, 2026Verified May 2026

Commodity Supplemental Food Program: A Monthly Food Package for Low-Income Seniors 60+

CSFP delivers a 30 to 40 pound monthly food package to qualifying older Americans. Here is what is inside, who qualifies, and how to sign up.

At a Glance

Find out if your state participates and locate a distribution site

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Visit fns.usda.gov/csfp/csfp-contacts and call your state agency. In many states, the program is run through the Department of Agriculture or the Department of Aging. The state office can direct you to the nearest distribution site, which may be a senior center, a Salvation Army, a food pantry, or a senior housing complex. If your state is not on the list (Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Rhode Island), check with your local food bank for a senior commodity program.

Apply at the distribution site or by phone

~33s

Most sites ask for proof of age (drivers license, state ID, or Medicare card), proof of where you live (a utility bill), and a self-declaration of income. If you already receive SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, or LIHEAP heating help, bring proof of that. It usually substitutes for income documentation. The application itself is one page. Approval is often same-day.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: There can be a waiting list in some areas because demand exceeds the federal funding for that state. Get on the list anyway — turnover is usually 10 to 20 percent a year and your name moves up.

Pick up your monthly box on the scheduled day

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Distribution is usually once a month on a fixed date — often the second Tuesday or the third Wednesday. If you cannot pick the box up in person, designate a friend, neighbor, or family member as a proxy. Most sites allow proxy pickup with a signed form. Bring a sturdy reusable bag or rolling cart — the box weighs 30 to 40 pounds.

Use the food and request items you cannot eat be swapped

~45s

Look at the contents and plan how you will use the food across the month. Beans and rice keep for years and stretch a budget. Canned salmon makes salmon patties or salads. Boxed milk works for cereal or in cooking. If a particular item does not work for you — for example, you have a peanut allergy or cannot eat beef — ask the distribution site if they can swap it. Most sites have a swap table where seniors trade items they will not use.

Warning

If you receive a CSFP box and also use a food pantry, let the pantry know — some pantries reduce what they give if they know you are getting a CSFP box. So they can spread their food to more families. It is fine to use both, but transparency makes the system work better.

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The Commodity Supplemental Food Program, known as CSFP, is one of the best-kept secrets in federal food help for older Americans. Once a month, a qualifying senior receives a 30 to 40 pound box of shelf-stable food, fresh produce, and dairy at no cost. CSFP serves about 760,000 older Americans every month in 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and on several tribal nations.

CSFP started in 1969 as a program for women, infants, and young children. In the 2010s, Congress redirected it to focus on older adults. Today it is the only federal program designed specifically to support the nutritional needs of low-income older Americans. The food packages are designed by USDA nutritionists to add the food groups most commonly missing from a senior diet on a tight budget: lean protein, calcium-rich dairy, whole grains, and fresh fruit and vegetables.

A typical monthly CSFP box contains canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned meat or fish (often salmon, chicken, or tuna), shelf-stable dairy (often boxed milk or cheese), whole grain cereal, dried beans or peas, pasta, peanut butter, juice, and one block of cheese. Some states add fresh produce. The total retail value is usually $50 to $70 a month.

Eligibility is generous compared to other food programs. You must be aged 60 or older with income at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level — about $20,331 a year for one person and $27,495 for two in 2026. There is no asset test. If you already receive SNAP, Medicaid, or SSI, you almost always qualify automatically.

The boxes are distributed at senior centers, churches, food pantries, and senior housing complexes, usually once a month on a fixed date. In rural areas, many states deliver the boxes directly to home-bound seniors through volunteer drivers. The packaging is plain and the boxes are picked up alongside other seniors. So there is no stigma at the curb.

(Sources: USDA Food and Nutrition Service — CSFP; Feeding America — Commodity Supplemental Food Program; National CSFP Association)

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