Aging Well, One Box at a Time: How CSFP Helps Older Adults Keep Food on the Table

Good nutrition is one of the quiet foundations of aging well. Most older adults don’t rely on just one source of food support—they stretch Social Security checks, shop sales, share meals with family, stop by meal sites, and when money runs short, turn to programs that help keep the pantry stocked.

Here in Yellowstone County, one of the most important pieces of that safety net is the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), administered locally by Family Service in partnership with the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services (DPHHS) and supported in part by Senior Mill Levy funding through Allies in Aging.

This month, we sat down with Debra Anderson, who manages CSFP at Family Service, to learn more about how the program works, the need she sees every day, and the challenges ahead. Her perspective helped ground this article in real experiences of the staff and volunteers who keep this lifeline moving.

CSFP isn’t fancy. It’s a sturdy 35-pound box of shelf-stable groceries. But over and over, older adults describe it with the same word: “a lifeline.”

In this issue, we want to pull back the curtain a bit:

• What is CSFP, really?

• Who qualifies, and what are the income limits?

• Why are these boxes so important right now?

• And — most importantly — how you can participate, either by signing up, volunteering, or serving as a proxy.

  
  

What Is CSFP?

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program "works to improve the health of low-income seniors (60 +) by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA foods."

• CSFP serves Montana residents age 60+.

• It offers one box of food per month, to help stretch a tight grocery budget.

• The foods are chosen for nutrients older adults especially need — protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A, C & D, and fiber — while limiting sodium, saturated fat and added sugar.

What’s in the Box?

Each CSFP box contains about 24 items, most shelf-stable, except cheese. The program is built around eight main categories:

• Cheese

• Shelf-stable milk or powdered milk

• Plant protein (beans, peanut butter)

• Pasta and rice

• Cereal (hot or cold)

• Vegetables/soup

• Fruit/juice

• Canned meat

  
  

At Family Service, staples like peanut butter, green beans, corn, pasta sauce, and applesauce appear monthly, because they are familiar, usable, and stretchable.

The boxes are intentionally simple and recognizable - many older adults cook for one, on a limited budget, sometimes with limited mobility or kitchen tools. Canned/dry staples reduce spoilage worries.

One challenge: the box weighs about 35 pounds. That’s substantial for someone with arthritis, a walker, or who relies on public transportation. Family Service hopes to move to boxes with handles or sturdy totes.

Still, when people pick up their box you often hear:

“This keeps my pantry full. I can plan around it. I know it’s coming.”

That sense of reliability is almost as important as the food itself.

Who Qualifies?

To apply for CSFP in Montana you must:

• Be age 60 or older,

• Live in the service area (Yellowstone or Fergus County), and

• Have gross monthly household income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

How CSFP Works in Yellowstone County

At Family Service, CSFP is designed to be accessible and consistent:

Pickup schedule

• Boxes are available once per month, any time during the month.

Check-in process

1. Participant (or a designated proxy) checks in at the front desk.

2. Receives a ticket.

3. Exchanges the ticket for a CSFP box in the Client Choice Food Pantry.

4. Signs the monthly roster to confirm receipt.

Staying enrolled

• If someone (or their proxy) misses three consecutive months, state rules require removal from the program — but they can re-apply at any time.

• Annual renewal is required.

Behind the scenes

• Family Service is allocated 334 monthly “caseloads”, but enrollments are over 500—so the program relies on regular pick‐ups and no excess unused slots.

• Monthly box assembly (≈ 360 boxes) happens with staff plus 2-4 volunteers.

• Each box must be packed exactly, with no missing items or duplicates

It’s quiet, steady work—but it’s feeding hundreds of older adults every month.

More Than Groceries: Community in a Box

With local funding and partnerships, CSFP at Family Service has grown into something more than just a food box. At the start of the year the program set two goals:

1. Improve wellness among vulnerable older adults.

2. Increase a sense of community and connection for participants.

To support wellness: Each box may include flyers and brochures from local organizations: LIFTT, Allies in Aging, St. John’s United, Billings Public Library, community gardens, fitness programs, and the USDA.

To encourage connection: They launched Letters to Elders — a multi-generational project where children and youth write cards and notes, which get tucked into CSFP boxes. It’s a small gesture that communicates: “You matter. You’re part of our community.”

How You Can Participate

As we face the growing need in Yellowstone County, here are the practical ways you can help:

1. Sign Up If You Think You Qualify

2. Volunteer to Build or Deliver Boxes

3. Serve as a Proxy for Someone Who Can’t Get There

Why It Matters

CSFP doesn’t replace other food support like Allies in Aging own Meals on Wheels—it fills an essential gap:

• It helps older adults keep pantry staples on hand.

• It supports those who still cook for themselves or invite others to share a meal.

• It provides a monthly, predictable food anchor when budgets are stretched and prices keep rising.

  
  

For some, this 35-pound box means they can afford medications and still eat well. For others, it means a pantry they can invite a grandchild into.

As a community, we can ensure that every eligible older adult knows about CSFP, that the program has the volunteers and proxies needed to operate smoothly, and that no one loses access to food simply because they couldn’t physically get through the door.

Together, we can help older adults in Yellowstone County continue aging well—one box at a time.

For more information, visit Family Service’s page: https://billingsfamilyservice.org/food-assistance/senior-commodities

Allies In Aging Blog brought to you by First Interstate Bank.