More seniors relying on food banks

According to the Emergency Food Assistance Program, the number of seniors in Washington state relying on food banks relying on food banks has risen 22% just in the past two years.

There's some good news, though. With the summer farmers market season getting underway, the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program offers eligible low-income seniors a way to access nutritious fresh fruit and vegetables. The program, which operates June through October, supplies fresh produce in two ways:
seniors can redeem farmers market checks for up to $40 worth of produce at authorized farmers markets or roadside stands, or, local produce is purchased directly from farmers and delivered to eligible homebound seniors or to meal sites and senior housing for pick up by seniors.

The program not only provides seniors a way to eat healthier, but also offers the fun and social interaction of visiting the local farmers market. It also helps to support local farming by encouraging the use of farmers markets and roadside produce stands.

To be eligible for the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, you must be age 60 or over and have an income less than 185% of the Federal Poverty Level ($1,669.63 per month for one person in 2010). For more information and program contacts, see the program webpage.

(Information courtesy of Energize Newsletter for Nutrition Educators, published by the Washington State University Nutrition Education Network. Read the latest issue here.)