Low-income senior citizens can sign up for vouchers that will help them buy produce at local farmers markets.
Qualifying Washington seniors who sign up through Meals on Wheels People before May 23 will be entered in a lottery-style system to select the winners of a limited number of $40 vouchers. Julie Piper Finley, spokeswoman for Meals on Wheels People, said there will be 1,008 vouchers for Clark County — a 19 percent increase over last year’s 850.
Those vouchers can be used to purchase fruits, vegetables and edible herbs at participating farmers markets and farm stands that display the sign “WIC and Senior Farmers’ Market Checks Welcome Here.”
Eligible are Washington residents 60 or older (55 or older if Native American or Alaska Native) and have monthly income of $1,799 or less for a household of one, or $2,425 a month or less for a household of two. Photo ID is required.
To enter the voucher lottery, eligible seniors must enter information via the Meals on Wheels People website (mealsonwheelspeople.orgSFMNP) or fill out a paper version of the form available at any Meals on Wheels People Clark County location. The deadline is May 23. Local Meals on Wheels People sites are:
o Battle Ground Community Center, 912 East Main, Battle Ground.
o Peoples Church, 6801 E. Mill Plain Blvd.
o Luepke Center, 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd.
o Firstenburg Community Center, 700 N.E. 136th Ave.
If you’re selected, you’ll be sent a postcard on June 4 with instruction for picking up your voucher at the location you requested in your application. Or, you’ll get a postcard saying you’ve been added to the wait list. Vouchers will be good through Oct. 31.
The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State of Washington, and is administered locally by the Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities of Southwest Washington and Meals on Wheels People. The program is in its 11th year.
For more information on the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, contact Meals on Wheels People at 1-866-788-6325 ext. 124, or visit www.helpingelders.org.
