MOUNT VERNON – Knox County seniors can participate in two different programs that give them a way to pay for produce at local farmers markets.
The Knox County Task Force for Older Adults’ Eat Fresh and Eat Local Program offers county residents aged 60 and older tokens worth $10 at local farmers markets, with no other requirements. The Area Agency on Aging sponsors the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program that provides income-eligible participants with $50 in coupons to use at participating farmers markets and roadside stands.
The Eat Fresh and Eat Local Program allows seniors who bring their driver’s license or identification confirming their age and residence in Knox County to get the tokens twice a month, Task Force President Meredith Lowther told the Mount Vernon News. The Mount Vernon Farmers Market on the Public Square and Fredericktown’s Farmers Market on its square at 1 E. Sandusky St. participate in the program.
“This will hopefully help them be able to still get those fresh fruits and vegetables without having to pay too much for them,” she said.
Some seniors hold on to the tokens they collect this early in the growing season to use later when more produce is available.
The Mount Vernon Farmers Market is held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. It opened on May 1 and runs through the end of October. The Fredericktown Farmers Market begins on June 3 and will be held from 4–7 p.m. on Thursdays through August.
A $25,000 grant awarded by Knox County to the Task Force was important, Lowther said.
“Getting the grant has definitely helped out in that aspect that we can help more seniors with programs, so that’s great,” Lowther said. “Overall, we don’t have to turn anybody away.”
Coupon redemption for the Area Agency on Aging’s Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program begins on June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. Eligible participants receive $50 worth of coupons.
Knox County seniors are eligible if they are 60 or older and their household income falls within certain guidelines. If they meet the income requirements, they can get vouchers from the agency’s program and the Task Force’s program, which only has age and residency requirements.
“That way they could actually utilize both for it, which when the growing season gets really going that just means more fruits and vegetables that they can purchase,” Lowther said.
Visit the Area Agency on Aging website at aaa5ohio.org/services/sfmnp for information and to fill out an application online. Seniors can also call 567-247-7101 to apply.
