Serving Seniors at a Food Pantry

Short answer: older adults are better served by a pantry that brings in CSFP senior boxes, offers senior hours and carry-out help, lets a trusted person pick up, and connects homebound people to delivery. CSFP is a separate federal program with its own rules, quite different from TEFAP, so learn them before you sign up as a site.

CSFP: the federal senior food box

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program is run by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA). From the CSFP fact sheet and the regulation at 7 CFR Part 247:

• Who qualifies. “Individuals must be at least 60 years of age” and meet income rules (247.9(a)). The State agency must use a household income limit “at or below 150 percent of the U.S. Federal Poverty Guidelines” (247.9(b)). States may accept people certified for SNAP, FDPIR, SSI, the Low Income Subsidy or the Medicare Savings Programs as income-eligible (247.9(b)(1)).
• Residency. The fact sheet says States “may establish local residency requirements based on designated service areas (but may not require a minimum period of residency),” and may require nutritional risk.
• What people get. A monthly package of USDA Foods, or a two-month supply every other month (247.10(a)). The fact sheet lists foods such as milk, cheese, juice, oats, cereal, rice, pasta, peanut butter, dry beans, canned meat, poultry or fish, and canned fruits and vegetables, and says the packages “are supplemental and do not provide a complete diet.”
• Who runs it. State agencies and Indian Tribal Organizations administer CSFP and pass the food to public and nonprofit local agencies, which “determine the eligibility of applicants, distribute the foods, and provide nutrition education.” CSFP operates in parts of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and seven Indian Tribal Organizations, so it is not available everywhere.
• Limited caseload. CSFP has a fixed number of slots. When they are full, the local agency “must maintain a waiting list” with the date of application and contact details, and notify applicants of their place on it within 10 days (247.11(a)).
• Certification. Certification periods are one to three years (247.16(a)), and participants must report income or household changes within 10 days (247.12(b)(2)).

The program in more depth, including the records a CSFP local agency keeps: CSFP, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, explained.

How CSFP differs from TEFAP at the table

The two programs are often handed out side by side, and the rules point in opposite directions on ID:

• TEFAP: “length of residency, address, or identification documents shall not be used as an eligibility criterion” (7 CFR 251.5(b)(3)).
• CSFP: the local agency “must check the identification of all applicants when they are certified or recertified” (247.19(a), referring to 247.8(a)(1)), and must have a process “to verify the identity of participants or the participant’s proxy before distributing USDA Foods” (247.10(b)).
• CSFP also bars asking participants for “any payments, or ... any materials or services” in connection with the food (247.10(c)).

To become a CSFP site, contact your food bank or your State’s CSFP agency through USDA’s CSFP program contacts. For TEFAP rules by State, see TEFAP rules State by State.

Home delivery and pickup by someone else

• Proxies first. The simplest “delivery” is a neighbor or relative picking up. TEFAP proxy rules are set by your State (form, how long it lasts); CSFP requires identity checks for proxies too.
• Volunteer delivery works for a small list: set fixed routes, use insulated bags for cold food, record when it was handed over, and keep the same driver where you can so problems get noticed.
• Refer to home-delivered meals. The Older Americans Act Senior Nutrition Program, per the Administration for Community Living, serves “nearly one million nutritious meals” a day through about 5,000 local providers, for people 60 and over (and some others). The Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116) finds the local Area Agency on Aging, and Meals on Wheels America lists providers by ZIP code.

Accessibility at the pantry

Feeding America’s senior programs page notes that “many food banks and food pantries have special hours for seniors.” Practical steps that help:

• Senior hours or appointments, so no one stands in a long line; chairs while they wait.
• An accessible entrance, ramps or a ground-floor room, good lighting, and restrooms.
• Lighter bags or a cart, and a volunteer to carry to the car or the bus stop.
• Large-print signs and forms, a quiet place for intake, and help for people with hearing or vision loss.
• Foods that work for older adults: smaller packages, easy-open cans, and lower-sodium options where you can get them.
• Reminder calls or texts before an appointment or a CSFP distribution day.

Where PantryPOS fits

PantryPOS is food pantry software. For a pantry serving seniors: a CSFP service type on each visit alongside pantry and TEFAP; pickup signatures for TEFAP or CSFP (off, optional or required); authorized pickups (proxies) with the date the proxy form was signed, a valid-until date and “Proxy ID checked”, so an expired proxy cannot be chosen at checkout; a Waitlist screen; appointment slots with reminders; and reports that count people by age group, including seniors (60+). It does not plan delivery routes, and it is not a CSFP state system. $39 per month for one location after a 30-day free trial, no card to start.

Related guides and free tools

• How to start a food pantry — the step-by-step version, including the other pantry types.
• Food pantry grants — real funding sources, each checked on its own site.
• TEFAP rules for food pantries, State by State — income limits, forms, signatures, proxies and retention.
• Should a food pantry use an appointment system?
• TEFAP eligibility
• Free intake form and monthly report template

Sources (checked October 10, 2026)

• USDA FNA, Commodity Supplemental Food Program
• USDA FNA, CSFP fact sheet (page updated September 11, 2026)
• 7 CFR Part 247 (CSFP), eCFR
• USDA FNA, CSFP program contacts
• 7 CFR Part 251 (TEFAP), eCFR
• Administration for Community Living, Nutrition Services
• Eldercare Locator (Administration for Community Living)
• Meals on Wheels America, Find meals and services
• Feeding America, Senior Food Programs

This guide is general information, not legal advice. CSFP and TEFAP eligibility and procedures are set by your State agency within the federal rules, and partner-agency requirements by your food bank; confirm the details with them. Regulation text was read on the eCFR (current to October 8, 2026) on October 10, 2026.