SourcePoint is continuing its Farmers Market Voucher program this year and plans to distribute $60 worth of vouchers to Delaware County residents 55 and older later this month.
The vouchers will be distributed at two events. The first will be Friday, May 21, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and the second will be Saturday, May 22, from 9 a.m. to noon.
To qualify, participants must be a Delaware County resident age 55 or older and must be within the 200% federal poverty level, reports SourcePoint.
Applications can be downloaded from SourcePoint’s website and will be available at distribution. The completed, signed application and driver’s license showing date of birth and a Delaware County address must be presented at distribution as well.
Karen Pillion, SourcePoint’s nutrition program administrator, said this year’s event is the continuation of a tradition that goes back more than 15 years.
“We’ve been offering Delaware County older adults farmers market vouchers since 2005,” Pillion said. “At that time, adults ages 60 and older received a set of $2 vouchers. It was a tiered system, and the total number received was based on when they picked them up. We served 339 seniors that first year.”
Pillion said that since its inception, the program has grown “quite a bit.”
“In 2017, we increased to $3 vouchers, and everyone received $60 worth,” Pillion said. “In 2019, we were able to drop the age requirement to 55 and older, in line with our other services, and we distributed vouchers to 1,027 older adults.”
Pillion said that in 2020, even with the pandemic, SourcePoint served over 800 older adults through the use of a drive-thru pick-up model. Pillion said she hopes older adults take advantage of the service this year as well.
“We’re hoping to see those numbers back up this year,” Pillion said. “We have retained the drive-thru model because it just works well, both for our staff and volunteers distributing vouchers, as well as for those picking up.”
Pillion said the SourcePoint Farmers Market Voucher program is funded by the senior services levy and through private donations.
The program, she added, benefits everyone involved, including SourcePoint, older adults and farmers.
“Good nutrition is vital, especially as we age,” Pillion said. “This program provides community members with vouchers to purchase fresh, nutritious, locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs. It’s a wonderful partnership between local farmers markets and independent vendors and SourcePoint to ensure that older adults are getting the vitamins and minerals they need — and enjoying delicious, local food!”
More information can be found at mysourcepoint.org/event/farmers-market-voucher-distribution
