Senior ranks rise 
at local food banks

Last year, 210,925 seniors sought help from food banks statewide; that was a nearly 7 percent increase over 2016 and accounted for more than 18 percent of the nearly 1.2 million food-bank recipients statewide, according to the state Department of Agricultural’s year-end report.

The increases are even larger in Yakima County, where recent data shows the number of seniors seeking food assistance steadily climbing.