FRANKLIN -- If you've ever marveled at how busy Franklin Area Community Services is on a normal day, you'd be astonished at the level of activity on "Senior Commodity Day."
That's the one day each month that area seniors line up to receive 40-pound boxes of food and a block of cheese from the Commodity Supplemental Food program. The program has grown wildly since the pantry became a distribution point. The first month, 22 seniors received boxes. This month, 192 boxes were distributed. Distribution is done during regular pantry hours, which means that the always-busy volunteers really crank it up a notch.
Kenny Allen, a FACS board member and long-time volunteer, coordinates the volunteers who distribute the commodity boxes. He said "Some months, people would start lining up at 11 a.m. to get their boxes, which resulted in long wait times. We suggested that they spread out over the entire time the pantry is open; that's really helped make the distribution more smooth."
On June 7, 192 boxes were stacked on the pantry's loading dock. Seniors first stopped inside to verify their eligibility, then returned to pick up one of the numbered boxes. One gentleman, a resident of Harding House, brought a van to pick up 24 boxes for his fellow residents. "He used to bring car," said one of the volunteers, "and when he left, every square inch packed with boxes." Even with the larger vehicle, 24 boxes filled the van.
The UDSA has federal oversight of the program, which is administered in Ohio by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. Locally, the commodity boxes come from the Shared Harvest Food Bank in Fairfield.
Eligibility guidelines stipulate that a person must be 60 years old and have an income of no more than 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines. Food included in the distribution may include vegetables, grain, meat, juice, dried beans, fruit, cheese, and other highly nutritious foods.
Franklin Area Community Services (FACS) is located at 345 S. Main Street, Franklin. You can visit FACS on the web at www.facswarren.org and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FACSfood. Terry Coyle is the Executive Director.
The Franklin Voice
Franklin, Ohio 45005
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