Barton County and Stafford County seniors are reminded that Wednesday, Nov. 1, is the final date to use 2017 Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks for fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and honey.
Senior citizens who have unspent checks should contact Janel Rose at the Barton County Health Department, 620-793-1902, for a list of licensed program farmers who have items available.
“There were 179 local participants for the 2017 market season for Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, up from 151 for 2016,” Rose said. “They received checks for $5,370 to be spent on locally grown fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and locally produced honey. Each participant received $30 in checks — six checks of $5 each.”
Ten local farmers underwent the training and obtained program licenses from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment so they could accept the checks. Interested farmers received the KDHE training either in person or during webinars offered on various dates from February through early April.
Rose said she doesn’t know how many of the checks have been redeemed. Program farmers have until Nov. 15 to deposit the SFMNP checks into their bank accounts.
“This is a federal program whose purpose is to provide greater access to healthy foods for seniors age 60 and older who have limited income,” Rose said. She administers the program for Barton County as part of her Chronic Disease Risk Reduction work. The county has participated in the program for four years.