HONESDALE, PA — The Wayne County Farmers Market (WCFM) just introduced a program that will enhance the buying power of seniors shopping for fresh, local food with their vendors. If a senior spends the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) vouchers at the WCFM, it will give them its own certificate worth an equivalent amount. In effect, that doubles the value of SFMNP vouchers. The $20 worth of vouchers that can be picked up at the Wayne County Agency on Aging will get seniors $40 worth of goods the WCFM. And they can spend the extra $20 at any of its vendors, not just from the farmers enrolled in the program, as is the case with the government-provided vouchers.

According to Anita Avvisato of WCFM, the market’s vendors voted to set aside a certain amount of their own money to implement the program, and the local Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture group, Wayne County Grown, pledged matching funds to our project.