Seniors enjoy bounty of Ohio’s farmers

Ohio farmers bring their fresh-from-the field goods directly to seniors.

PARMA (AP) — Eat your veggies, adults tell their children. These days, older adults are being told the same thing.

Many senior citizens aren’t getting the nutrition that comes from fresh fruits and vegetables, especially if they are on a low-salt diet or have diabetes. The cost of produce can be high, and fresh food is rarely provided in home-delivered meals or at food banks.

About 13 percent of the elderly have poor diets and two-thirds need improvement, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

But this summer, local seniors are reaping the bounty as Ohio farmers bring their fresh-from-the-field goods directly to them.

Men and women on Thursday morning tapped melons, pulled down corn husks and squeezed eggplants on tables brimming with fruit, vegetables and herbs in the parking lot of the Parma Senior Center.

Jim Richards balanced on his walker so he could heft several tomatoes. He handed them to farmer Eli Weaver, who weighed them and also bagged an onion Richards chose. Richards, of Parma, paid with a $5 coupon provided by the senior center.

Nutrition program

Weaver and his family, who are Amish, picked most of the produce hours earlier on their farm in Holmes County. He is reimbursed by the Ohio Department of Aging, which sponsors the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program with funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“I think it’s great,” said Anna Prohaska of Parma, who arrived on the senior center’s bus. She put her lettuce, broccoli and other vegetables in a soft-sided cooler.

Because many seniors don’t drive, the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging, which administers the program in Cuyahoga County, brings the markets to nutrition sites and senior centers. Farmers, who can also sell their produce for cash, were happy to participate, said Susan Schwarzwald, director of program development and planning for the agency.

“We were really thrilled that seniors could access fresh fruits and vegetables that are locally grown as well as support farmers,” she said.

This is the first year Cuyahoga County received funds. The $57,000 was divvied into $45 coupon books for qualified residents age 60 and older to use at participating farmers markets. The senior markets are in 24 counties, including Summit and Portage in Northeast Ohio.

Coupons required

Other local counties have their own programs, but all require coupons to be redeemed at regular area farmers markets.

The Geauga County Department on Aging sends 10 $1 vouchers each month, June through October, for qualified seniors to use at area farmers markets. The Medina County Office for Older Adults provided 320 seniors with $50 in coupons, a program funded by the HANDSFoundation.

The Lorain County Office on Aging distributes fruits and vegetables once a month directly to 125 qualified people.

At the Parma senior center Thursday, nearly all the nectarines and peaches from Miller’s Orchard in Ashtabula had been sold in the first hour. McIntosh apples were all that remained. Sharon Glaspie, who works with St. Vincent Charity Hospital’s Market Gardening Program, which encourages youths to develop community gardens, brought the fruit and produce from the Cleveland gardens.

As seniors lingered over the crisp broccoli, colorful peppers and shiny cucumbers, they spoke of gardens they had once tended and the joy of fresh produce.

“Sweet corn you get at the store is just not the same,” said Cora Lowe of Old Brooklyn.