Food Assistance Programs For Older Adults

Services available to older adults in Pennsylvania are listed below. To find out more about meals and other services available in your area, contact your local Area Agency on Aging.

• SNAP for Older Adults
  PA Department of Human Services (DHS)
  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, provides benefits that are used to buy food and help eligible low-income households in Pennsylvania obtain more nutritious diets by increasing their food purchasing power at grocery stores and supermarkets. You can apply for SNAP benefits if everyone in the household is age 60 or older or disabled and purchases and prepares food together (people in the household are not required to be related) and not receiving earnings from work. Apply online using COMPASS or in person at your county assistance office.
  

• Congregate and Home Delivered Meals
  Free, nutritious meals are available to individuals who are age 60 or older, and their spouses. Meals can also be delivered directly to eligible individuals' homes. Learn more about congregate and home delivered meals by calling your county Area Agency on Aging. Free meals are available at more than 600 senior community centers in Pennsylvania.
  

• Pennsylvania Senior Food Box Program
  PA Department of Agriculture (PDA)
  If you are over the age of 60 and your income is below 130 percent of the U.S. poverty level, you may be eligible to receive a monthly box of food. View eligibility amounts on the PA Hunger Resource website. Registered seniors are eligible to receive a free box of healthy, non-perishable foods. Products are provided by the USDA and include bottles of 100 percent juice, cheese, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats and stews, milk, cereal, peanut butter, and more. Senior boxes are distributed through food banks.
  

• Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP)
  PA Department of Agriculture (PDA)
  This program provides eligible low-income seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for qualified foods. Recipients are given a list of participating farmers and farmers' markets when they receive their vouchers. These vouchers are redeemed for fresh fruits and vegetables grown in Pennsylvania. Each eligible recipient receives four five-dollar SFMNP vouchers to redeem at a qualified farmers' markets or roadside stands. There are more than 1,150 SFMNP participating farmers at more than 800 farm stands and 200 farmers' markets across the commonwealth.