Seniors have access to free food weekly at community food banks, Harvester food drops, and monthly through the government commodities programs. This month the food boxes included dried beans, spaghetti squash, onions, potatoes, carrots, ham, fish sticks, breakfast sausage, hamburger, butter, sour cream, yogurt, eggs, evaporated milk, tuna fish, apples, pears, and cream of chicken soup. 

Most free food drops do not require you show identification or proof of income. Our local food bank asks for identification the first time you register, but not after that. Usually all the volunteers want to know how many adults, children and senior citizens live in the household. They do prefer one car per household. 

It's a good idea to store or hold on to the food that doesn't spoil as the food drops will be canceled if it is triple digits, single digits. For some seniors, their food drop location might be weekly or monthly. If a drop is cancelled due to weather it's good to have something in the pantry to get you through until the next food drop, which could be two weeks or two months wait. 

Rice, beans, pasta and other dried grains hold well. Canned soups, fruit, vegetables and meats hold over as well. I also keep back a couple of cans of evaporated milk just in case.