Partly cloudy skies early followed by scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Partly cloudy skies early followed by scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.

An East Texas Food Bank program in which it teams with DoorDash to deliver boxes to Longview seniors began this past week.

The East Texas Food Bank’s Senior Box Program includes non-perishable items such as canned meat, beans, pasta and more.

Linda Henry of Longview says she’s grateful for the Senior Box Program because it is difficult for her to travel.

An East Texas Food Bank program in which it teams with DoorDash to deliver boxes to Longview seniors began this past week.

The East Texas Food Bank’s Senior Box Program includes non-perishable items such as canned meat, beans, pasta and more.

Linda Henry of Longview says she’s grateful for the Senior Box Program because it is difficult for her to travel.

An East Texas Food Bank pilot program in partnership with DoorDash will make deliveries available to some Longview seniors.

Rebecca Berkley, food bank spokeswoman, said the Senior Box Program provides a box of shelf-stable, varied food items for qualifying seniors. The box supplements seniors’ food needs to help get them through the month, she said.

The East Texas Food Bank in Tyler serves 26 counties in the region, including Gregg.

In collaboration with DoorDash’s Project Dash, “Dashers deliver boxes from one of the food bank’s member agencies so seniors with limited transportation options can receive the meals they need,” according to the East Texas Food Bank.

The nonprofit Longview Dream Center, a food bank partner, typically serves about 300 seniors a month through the box program, Berkley said.

Seniors now will have a chance to get their boxes delivered through Project Dash.

The Dream Center was chosen as the food bank’s first pilot site for the program and will serve as a guide for future sites, Berkley said. While other food distribution centers offer the senior box program, the Dream Center will be the only to offer Project Dash Services.

“(The Dream Center is going) to be the one that we’re going to try for a while. ... There will not be another (site) until we work on them for a couple months,” Berkley said.

Seniors who benefit from the delivers include those who don’t have vehicles or a method of transportation, those who have mobility issues or other reasons that inhibit them from picking up a box, Berkley said.

Not every senior who is part of the box program is eligible for home deliveries but only those with extenuating circumstances who can’t get out or are homebound for other reasons, she added.

The first run of deliveries in Longview was this past week, with the first day sending out 25 boxes to homebound seniors, Berkley said. She said she believes the first week couldn’t have gone better.

One of the seniors who received a box is a woman who had a work injury and is unable to drive, Berkley said.

“The food means a lot to her — that she gets it immediately. She was extremely grateful that she was able to get it that way. I feel like that’s something that we’re going to see a lot of right now,” she said.

Berkley said high inflation is affecting most aspects of East Texans’ daily lives, including food costs.

A second pilot site in Texarkana also is being implemented and will be the only other in the area, she said. The food bank hopes to expand to other cities after operating the two pilot sites for awhile, Berkley said.

For eligibility requirements or to sign up for the Senior Box Program, go to tinyurl.com/2p9bar4b .

I'm Yoleyne Romero and my beat includes city/county government. I'm a graduate from The University of Texas at Tyler with a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication. I have a dog named Okami that provides endless sunshine in my life.

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