April 12, 2007

Again this year, Senior Project FRESH, through the Office of Services to the Aging (OSA), will provide coupons to enable senior adults to obtain fresh fruits and veggies at Michigan farmers markets and roadside stands.

Last summer, Senior Project FRESH served 7,500 older adults in 36 Michigan Counties. Many of them were at risk of being nutritionally deficient. This summer, Senior Project FRESH plans to provide fresh fruits and veggies to an estimated 10,000 senior adults in 45 Michigan counties.

In addition to the coupons, Project FRESH applicants will receive a printed list of local congregate meal sites, information about home delivered meals, and a nutrition education folder. They also will receive food counseling and nutrition education through MSU Extension.

To be eligible to participate, senior adults must be age 60 or older and be at 185 percent of the poverty rate. They must live in the county where they receive the coupons.

Project FRESH is part of a national program sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) called the Senior Farmer's Market Nutrition Program, which promotes the eating of fresh fruits and vegetables, and is conducted through OSA, within the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), with help from the Michigan State University (MSU) Extension and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, also within MDCH.

If you are interested in participating in Senior Project FRESH, or your group or agency is interested in starting a Senior Project FRESH program in your county this summer, please call the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging at (517) 373-4064, send an email to kings1@michigan.gov, or access TDD at (517) 373-4096.