Fresh Food Program Expands to Serve More Maine Seniors

This summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture added another $60,000 in funding for the Maine Senior FarmShare Program, allowing the program's manager to clear a waiting list and make the program available to an additional 1,000 Maine seniors, reports the Portland Press Herald . Program manager Donna Murray says she is collaborating with senior agencies throughout Maine to find new participants in addition to the 17,000 or so who have already enrolled. To qualify, men and women must be at least 60 years old and have household incomes of no more than 185 percent of the poverty level. The program is run similar to community-supported agriculture initiatives offered by many farms. Seniors enroll and choose a farm to work with; the farm receives $50 per participant and seniors can buy fresh vegetables and draw down against that credit over the course of the growing season. "It not only helps the seniors, it helps our local farmers," Murray notes. She says the program addresses older adults' nutritional needs by ensuring they can at least get some fresh vegetables in their diets, especially in the fall as the crops are coming in. A 2016 poll found almost 92 percent of seniors said they ate more fruits and vegetables thanks to the program. Murray also says in most cases seniors must travel to farms or farmers markets to get their vegetables, which means they get out of the house and overcome the growing problem of social isolation.