Senior food program opens
Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff announced that the state Department of Agriculture has received a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). “The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program is a great program designed to help low-income seniors access quality fresh, ‘in-season’ produce,” Wolff said.
Wolff added that Pennsylvania was one of 47 states and territories to receive the grant which will be used to provide low-income seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for fresh produce at farmers’ markets, roadside stands and community-supported agriculture programs. Pennsylvania operates the program from June 1 through Nov. 30 every year. Low-income seniors, ages 60 and over, who have household incomes of not more than 185 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines (published annually by the state Department of Health and Human Services), are the targeted recipients of SFMNP benefits. For information on participating in SFMNP, contact Sandy Hopple in the Bureau of Food Distribution at 1-800-468-2433.