Senior & Homebound Programs

Food for People has two programs that aim to help those 60 and older looking for food assistance. The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and the Senior Brown Bag Program. Please read below for further details about the programs or call us at (707)445-3166 extension 309 to apply and find the program that fits your needs best.

The CSFP program is currently available for pick-up in Eureka, Arcata, McKinleyville, Trinidad, and Fortuna. The Senior Brown Bag pick-up sites are currently provided in Arcata, Blue Lake, Bridgeville, Eureka, Fortuna, Garberville, Hoopa, Manila, McKinleyville, Orleans, Rio Dell, Trinidad, Weitchpec, and Willow Creek. A small number of home deliveries are available for seniors who are homebound and have no other way to access the program. Delivery is not guaranteed and depends on whether volunteer drivers are available.

Food for People’s Homebound Delivery Program is for adults younger than 60 years old who are too ill or disabled to leave their homes to access our other programs. The program requires having a medical referral from either a hospital discharge planner, social worker, home health worker, or medical professional. Please view the income guidelines below and call us at (707) 445-3166 extension 309 for inquires. 

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) provides a 30-40 pound box of nutritious food monthly for income-eligible seniors each month (age 60 and older). All boxes come with the addition of bread and up to 10 lbs of fresh produce. Services are currently available for pick-up in Eureka, Arcata, McKinleyville, Trinidad, and Fortuna.

Applications for CSFP must be filled out in person with a trained staff member. Please contact our Senior & Homebound Programs Coordinator to apply by calling (707) 445-3166 extension 309, or email seniors@foodforpeople.org.

In order to complete an application, applicants will need to show:

• ID that displays date of birth

Food for People does not keep copies of this information. It only needs to be viewed.

The Senior Brown Bag Program has been in operation since 1987, and currently provides a monthly bag of groceries for up to 400 low-income seniors age 60 or older at locations throughout Humboldt County. Volunteer drivers deliver bags to those who are unable to pick up their own food. Each bag consists of a variety of USDA, purchased, and locally donated foods, bread, and up to 10 lbs of fresh produce.

Call our Senior Programs Coordinator at (707) 445-3166 extension 309 to learn more about how to apply for Senior Brown Bag and access the program from a site in your local community, or email seniors@foodforpeople.org.

Resources for Site Partners Operating the Brown Bag Program:

Click on any of the items below to download tools and resources helpful for your Brown Bag distributions:

• EFA7 Signature Sheet (This is the NEW official USDA signature sheet that must be used at distributions)
• EFA7 Signature Sheet in Spanish
• USDA EFAP income guidelines (March 2023-Revised) (Bilingual income guidelines for accessing USDA commodity foods must be posted at distribution)
• "And Justice for All" poster (This must be posted at distribution)
• Nondescrimination Statement (July 2022 update) Short statement (the final line) is ok on print materials. Full statement must be used on websites/webpages.
• Proxy/Alternate Pick-Up Form (March 2023-Revised) When someone picks up commodities for someone else, either this form must be used OR a note that contains the same info, which includes: Date, client name, name of person the client is giving permission to pick up the food, signature, address, zip code, number of people in the household.
• We'll share the Spanish version of the proxy form when it is available from the State.
• Civil Rights Training Tool
• Monthly Inventory Form

To download/print CalFresh flyers with income guidelines and information on how to apply, visit our CalFresh Task Force- Eligibility & Contacts page

To download resources for gardening and accessing farmers' markets and CSA's with CalFresh, visit our CalFresh Task Force- Gardening & Farmers' Markets page

For more information on CalFresh in general, visit our CalFresh Outreach page.

For recipes and nutrition resources, visit our Recipes & Nutrition Education page.

Our partners at Humboldt County Dept. of Health & Human Services and St. Joseph Health coordinate to update and provide a comprehensive list of many different types of resources available in Humboldt County. Click here to view/download/print the resource list. And as an additional tool, the Humboldt Network of Family Resource Centers put all of this information into an online resource search engine. Click here to use the resource list search engine.

The Homebound Delivery Program provides a monthly bag of groceries for up to 100 individuals under 60 years of age who are too ill or disabled to leave their homes. Services may be provided on either a short-term or long-term basis, depending on the nature of the illness or disability. Some of our program participants are recovering from surgery or treatments, while others may be coping with a terminal illness. Referrals are required and accepted from hospital discharge planners, social workers, home health workers, medical professionals, etc. This program is completely supported by local donations.

Each bag consists of a variety of USDA and locally donated foods, bread, and up to 10 lbs of fresh produce. We do our best to include specific items requested as medically necessary for a certain type of diet. Food boxes are delivered by volunteers to recipients in Bridgeville, Eureka, Fortuna, Loleta, Manila, Arcata, McKinleyville, Rio Dell, and Trinidad.

Both forms can be mailed to Food for People (PO Box 4922, Eureka CA 95502), or faxed to us at (707) 445-5946. Please contact the program coordinator with questions at (707) 445-3166 ext. 309 or seniors@foodforpeople.org.

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In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Compla..., from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writ a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail:

U.S. Department of AgricultureOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights1400 Independence Avenue, SWWashington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. fax:

(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. email:

@email

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.