LAKE COUNTY – With rising food prices challenging those with fixed incomes, Community Care’s Senior Information and Assistance program wants to make sure that Lake and Mendocino County seniors know the nutrition programs that can help.

California Food Policy advocates released a report in February stating that fewer than half of eligible Lake and Mendocino individuals are enrolled in the Food Stamp program.

The program allows seniors to have higher incomes and assets than younger applicants. As of Oct. 1, if you are 60 or older you may be eligible if you: have a nest-egg of $3,000 or less (not counting your home or vehicles); have a monthly gross income of $1,430 or less as a single person ($1,925 for couples); and are not receiving SSI/SSP. Call the following to apply: 995-4200 or toll-free 800-628-5288.

Area food banks provide emergency and regular food supports to people of all ages who have individual monthly gross incomes of $1,300 or less (or $1,750 for couples). And unlike the Food Stamps program, food bank programs are available to those who receive SSI/SSP.

Two additional food bank programs are offered to those aged 60 and older.

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) provides a monthly 30- to 40-pound box of food to seniors who have a maximum monthly gross income of $1,127 (couples $1,517).

The Senior Brown Bag Program provides twice/monthly offerings to seniors with maximum individual incomes of $1,169 (couples $2,189); a $15 voluntary annual donation is requested of Senior Brown Bag participants.

Both programs have multiple distribution sites to ease the travel burden of food recipients. To learn more about these or other nutrition programs, such as congregate dining or home-delivered meal offerings, call Senior Information and Assistance at 800-510-2020.

Senior Information and Assistance is a free service available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call toll-free from anywhere in Lake or Mendocino County to talk to an information specialist at Community Care’s Ukiah office.

Visit www.SeniorResourceDirectory.org for an online version of the local Senior and Disabled Resource Directory (also available in print at area libraries and senior centers) and www.CommunityCare707.com to learn more about Community Care’s programs for seniors and younger disabled adults.

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MIDDLETOWN – The Middletown Area Town Hall (MATH) Board of Directors will hold a special meeting on Thursday, Sept. 25.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at Loconoma Valley High School on Washington Street.

The public is encouraged to attend.

On the agenda is planning and preparing for MATH Board elections.

MATH meetings are subject to videotaping. Meeting proceedings may be available for viewing on public access television and/or the Internet.

The group is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley – including Hidden Valley Lake – Long Valley and Middletown.

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Come to Habitat for Humanity's Sept. 27 yard sale for good deals and a chance to learn how to volunteer. Courtesy photo.

CLEARLAKE PARK – Habitat for Humanity of Lake County will host a yard sale and volunteer open house on Saturday, Sept. 27.

The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 3418 14th St. in Clearlake Park (on the corner of Country Club and 14th Street).

Need building or home supplies? Come get them at deeply discounted rates with all proceeds going to build homes for Lake County families.

Also, come learn of how to apply for a home or how to volunteer in our office or at the job site. Call 994-1100 with any questions.

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Join hospital representatives on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 5:30 p.m. at the Best Western El Grande, 15135 Lakeshore Drive, for an update of what Redbud Community Hospital is doing for the community.

Linda Gibson, senior vice president and chief operations officer, will discuss the changes taking place within the hospital. Gibson said her goal is to make Redbud the best critical-access hospital in the state.

For more information call 994-6642 or 995-0160.

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Dr. Harry Lyons, professor of biology and ecology at the Clear Lake Campus of Yuba College, will give a presentation titled “The Language of Oaks,” centered on the natural history of four oak species found in Lake County with short descriptions of six other species also found here, and cursory mention of 10 more species found elsewhere in California.

Dr. Lyons also promises “short asides on names people call oaks and why they call them anything at all. A description of the roles humans expect oaks to play in making the new, hot, crowded century more livable. Expect, at the beginning, an explanation on why other trees are not oaks and, at the end, a burst of appropriate music.”

His unique presentations are always notable for both sound science and a high level of entertainment value; those who have not yet had this experience have an unexpected pleasure before them.

The meeting is free and open to the public; for more information contact Victoria Brandon at 994-1931 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Clearlake Oaks Community United Methodist Church will host a ballot measure workshop from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5.

Once again Californians will face a number of ballot measures in November. For the past several years Jericho (www.jerichoforjustice.org) has been facilitating workshops to go beyond the 30-second sound bite ads and brief descriptions in the sample ballots.

Sister Marti McCarthy, Jericho director and lobbyist in Sacramento, will give background on the various issues and surface major contributors on each side.

Workshop participants will have time to discuss the ballot measures so that the pros and cons are apparent.

Clearlake Oaks Community United Methodist Church is located at 12487 The Plaza, behind the Red and White Market.

For more information call 998-9435.

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