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Farmers Market Senior Nutrition Program
| Name | Stephen Odom, Jr. | | Situation | Because of tough economic times many limited and low-income families have had to strectch their food dollars to make ends meet. | | Response | In 2002 the S C Department of Agriculture received a grant from USDA to help with this situation. Greenwood county was selected as one of the counties to participate in the Senior Nutrition Program because of it's effective Farmers Market. At the time the number of vendors and consumers
participating at the Market was on a down hill trend. Clemson Extension readily agreed to help in the implementation of this program. The program has generated a lot of interest from local growers and backyard marketers and many, many low income seniors as well as other consumers. The local Clemson Extension Service made contact with local farmers and assisted
with opportunities for the seniors to get "certified" to participate in
the program.
In addition, there has been great cooperation between Clemson Extension and the S C Department of Agriculture who secured the funds and the Piedmont Agency on Aging, who issued the coupons to eligible "Seniors." | | Impact | In 2002 Greenwood county recevied grant funds of $65,000; $45,000 in
2003; $35,000 in 2004; and $35,000 in 2005. Since the program started, our vendor participation has grown from 30 in 2002 to nearly 60 in 2005. |
Last update4/24/2008
This website is maintained by Bryan Smith.
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