Senior citizens are very important in every county, but don’t always get the recognition they deserve. Luckily, Lafayette County was blessed with a state grant that helped deliver food commodity bags to many of the elder residents.
The Lafayette County Extension Office partnered with the Family Nutrition Program and the Bread of Life Food Ministry to supply dry goods to community members ages 60 and up. The Food Commodity Program was a great success, taking in over 350 applications and 218 senior citizens were able to receive 30 pounds of dry goods consisting of canned goods (meats, fruits, vegetables), cereal, juice, cheese, peanut butter, milk and pasta.
Senior citizens eagerly lined up outside of an empty local restaurant to be checked in to receive their bags of dry commodities. Things went very smoothly, considering it was the very first pick-up for the county. Several senior citizens volunteered to help bag the items, which showed to be an enormous help. Within the first hour, almost 100 people had already picked up their commodities. Although it was extremely hot that day, they worked very hard and we were very thankful and proud of their efforts.
Each month the commodities will arrive on a different day. Lafayette County Extension Office will contact the eligible participants to notify them of their pick-up day, time and location. The program is for Lafayette County residents only. The program is currently trying to make a way for all applicants to receive commodities. We are told it may take several months to reach this goal and the extension office will keep everyone updated on the progress.
Elder nutrition is very important. As we get older, our nutritional needs change. Sometimes, due to income and mobility issues, senior citizens aren’t able to get all of the nutrition they need. Knowing this fact makes it even more rewarding to be able to help by partnering with this program.
Lafayette County Extension Office and the Family Nutrition Program look forward to continuing the program for the next few years.
Jana Hart- Extension Agent- FCS/4-H
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