Free Monthly Food Boxes for Seniors From Helping Harvest
Helping Harvest runs the Senior Food Box Program, which provides a box of food every month to more than 2,100 low-income senior citizens. The box is a supplement to what you normally buy, meant to make sure you get foods of high nutritional value. Types of food included are shelf-stable milk, juice, non-perishable dry goods, peanut butter, canned meat, poultry or fish and canned fruits and vegetables.
You are eligible for free monthly food boxes if you are over 60 years old and your income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. The monthly income limits are $1,995 for one person, $2,705 for two, $3,415 for three, $4,125 for four, $4,835 for five, $5,545 for six, $6,255 for seven and $6,965 for eight, plus $710 more for each additional person in the household. The same limits are printed as annual amounts, starting at $23,940 for one person, and as weekly amounts, starting at $461. The income guidelines also appear on a self-declaration form linked from the program page.
Helping Harvest delivers the boxes to over 100 sites throughout Berks and Schuylkill Counties, and the program page links a list of the locations and sites that take part. After applying, seniors are initially added to a waitlist and then moved to the active recipient list as food boxes become available, so expect a wait before your first box.
For more information about the program and the participating sites, you can reach out to a site directly or contact Lori Lowery, the Senior Services and Referral Manager, at 610-926-5802 ext. 203 or llowery@helpingharvest.org. The page does not spell out how to submit an application, what documents you need or how long the waitlist is.
Helping Harvest's general-questions number is 610-926-5802, and the food bank is at 117 Morgan Drive, Reading, PA 19608. That address is the food bank's own office, not a place the page tells seniors to pick up boxes, and the page does not give the days or times boxes are handed out at the delivery sites.
Source: helpingharvest.org/programs-2/senior-programs, read November 1, 2026.
The details
| Household size | Monthly income limit |
|---|---|
| 1 | $23,940 |
| 2 | $32,460 |
| 3 | $40,980 |
| 4 | $49,500 |
| 5 | $58,020 |
| 6 | $66,540 |
| 7 | $75,060 |
| 8 | $83,580 |
In Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank’s words
The Senior Food Box Program provides a box of food every month to more than 2,100 low-income senior citizens. The box provides a supplement to the seniors’ normal purchases in an effort to ensure they receive foods of high nutritional value. Types of food included are shelf-stable milk, juice, non-perishable dry goods, peanut butter, canned meat, poultry or fish and canned fruits and vegetables. Helping Harvest delivers the boxes to over 100 sites throughout Berks and Schuylkill Counties.
Organization
Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank
Organization profile in our directory →About this listing
This listing summarizes publicly available information from helpingharvest.org/programs-2/senior-programs. Last recorded review: November 1, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.