Eligible seniors can collect $20 worth of Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets.
Local seniors centers are providing vouchers to low-income seniors for use at farmers markets throughout Bucks County. Vouchers will be handed out in a “first come, first served” basis at the Morrisville Senior Servicenter starting Monday. The vouchers come from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which provides senior citizens with vouchers to purchase fresh produce at participating markets.
“There is a lot of great research out there about fresh food and the impact that it can have on your health over all,” Shannon Powers, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture press secretary, said Friday.
The Morrisville Senior Servicenter will begin distribution Monday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and continue to give out vouchers every weekday until their stock of 150 runs out, which doesn’t take long, according to Anthony Smith, the center’s customer service coordinator and grant writer who will distribute the vouchers.
“They go quickly so you know it is good for the farmers and it is good for the seniors,” Smith said Thursday. “They love this voucher program.”
The center in Morrisville is one of many locations throughout Bucks and Montgomery County distributing vouchers. The Falls Township Senior Center began its distribution Friday and will continue to do so every Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. while supplies last, according to front desk receptionist Linda Morgenroth.
Morgenroth agreed with Smith: “They go quickly,” she said.
Locations include:
Mondays: Upper Bucks Senior Center in Quakertown, Bristol Township Senior Center
Tuesdays: Middletown Senior Center
Thursdays: Bristol Borough Area Active Adult Center
Fridays: Bensalem Senior Center, Ben Wilson Senior Center, Central Bucks Senior Center, Falls Township Senior Center, Neshaminy Activity Center, Northampton Township James E. Kinney Center and Pennridge Community Center
Monday through Thursday: Eastern Upper Bucks Senior Center
All times are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Interested seniors, who must be 60 or older by Dec. 31 of the program year, should report to their local providing senior center for a voucher. Eligible individuals must have a yearly income equal or below 185 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. The vouchers are distributed in four $5 checks for a total of $20. Couples are eligible for $40 worth of vouchers.
The vouchers can only purchase fresh Pennsylvania fruits and vegetables; processed foods like jam, nuts, cider and baked goods are prohibited, according to the Department of Agriculture website. Because tropical fruits like citrus are not grown in Pennsylvania, they are not covered by the vouchers, Powers said.
The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program “checks a lot of boxes,” according to Powers. Not only do the vouchers encourage local, healthy eating but shopping at a farm stand or farmers’ market can also be a positive social event.
The program also benefits local farmers, according to Powers. As seniors look to purchase locally grown produce, the vouchers ensure that the money supports their community’s economy.
″‘Buy Local’ is a huge movement,” Powers said. “The money stays right there in your community.”
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Source: https://www.theintell.com/news/20190624/farmers-market-vouchers-free-for-eligible-seniors