Indy Standard

Senators Mike Braun (D-AZ) and Mark Kelly have introduced the Delivering for Rural Seniors Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at enhancing the delivery of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), also known as the "senior food box." The CSFP, managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provides monthly food boxes to low-income seniors. However, many seniors in rural areas, those with disabilities, and those without reliable transportation often do not receive home delivery services from participating food banks.

The proposed legislation seeks to address this gap by establishing a pilot program that funds grants specifically for delivering CSFP to these underserved populations. This initiative aims to reduce food insecurity among seniors and improve the efficiency of the CSFP through innovative delivery methods.

“No senior in America should go hungry. This bill will help rural seniors and those with disabilities get access to food bank services to help cut down on the issue of food insecurity among older Americans,” said Braun, who serves as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research.

“Our seniors have worked hard their entire lives and deserve to have access to nutritious food without facing barriers due to mobility or transportation,” said Kelly. “This bipartisan bill will help ensure that low-income seniors in Arizona receive the essential food they need directly to their homes, improving their health and quality of life."

St. Mary’s Food Bank has been providing home delivery for seniors since fall 2020, making over 6,000 deliveries per month. From July to September 2023 alone, St. Mary’s completed nearly 18,000 deliveries, with approximately 44 percent being CSFP deliveries.

The bill has garnered broad bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. The House version was introduced by Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY-19) and is co-sponsored by 16 Democrats and 13 Republicans.

Advocates have voiced strong support for the legislation:

“As economic pressures build, our neighbors with fixed incomes, high-risk health conditions, and limited access to reliable transportation are disproportionately impacted. Home delivery has given us an avenue by which we can serve hard-to-reach communities," said Marcos Gaucin, Chief Programs Officer at St. Mary's Food Bank.

“The Delivering for Rural Seniors Act is a common sense answer... If passed, the impact will be dramatic and immediate,” said April Bradham, President and CEO of Arizona Food Bank Network (AzFBN).

“The bipartisan Delivering for Rural Seniors Act... would help more seniors keep food on the table," stated Vince Hall, Chief Government Relations Officer at Feeding America.

“Transportation is an even greater impediment in rural communities that typically have no public transportation options at all," noted Fred Glass, President and CEO of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana.

“NCSFPA supports efforts to improve the ability to provide food packages... including those proposed in the Delivering for Rural Seniors Act,” added the National Commodity Supplemental Food Program Association.

Click here to read the text of the bill.