California Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP)

The California Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) is administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and provides healthy fruits and vegetables to the beneficiaries of the WIC program. The FMNP is a seasonal program and opens only during summers.
The eligible candidates are provided with checks that can then use it to buy fruits and vegetables from their local farmers’ markets. It should be kept in mind, that not all vendors at the farmer’s market are listed with the program hence; you should look for signs that accept SFMNP checks.
The main aim of the California Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) is to help children, women, and senior citizens who are at nutritional risk by providing them with healthy and fresh food. The program also aims to create and increase awareness regarding the benefits of farmers’ markets across the state and to promote buying freshly grown food from the farmers in the state of California.
The program promotes local farmers and helps them increase their sales. The SFMNP program promotes the production of family farms across the state to produce a variety of fruits and vegetables. The program also helps participants how to buy and also cook locally grown food.
If you are an individual who is 60 years old or older, then you can apply for the California Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). You have to also belong to a household that has a limited family income to be eligible for the program’s services. You are living in an area where you can freshly grow food is easily accessible from the nearby local farmers’ market. It should be kept in mind that an individual can only get a single box of freshly produced vegetables and fruits per year during the program’s duration which is between May till September. Note that, there are usually limited quantities available. Your selection is based on your eligibility and how deserving you are.
To be associated with the California Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) you have to register as an authorized farmer or a market. For a farmer, you need to show your Producer’s Certificate and need to fill out an agreement with the WIC department in your locality. You cannot sell at a non-authorized market.
On the other hand, if you are opening a farmers’ market in your local area, you need to fill out your application and sign an agreement and submit it to the WIC Division. You need to also show your Farmers’ Market certification to the local department before opening up a farmers’ market there.
Farmers in California were authorized to use a WIC Card which is like a Benefit credit card used to issue food benefits to deserving families. This makes the process of getting food through a check way easier. Due to the outburst of Coronavirus, the program needs to modify the distribution process to keep the safety of the individuals as well as the staff. The program will be collaborating with the California Association of Food Banks who will be administrating the whole food distribution process to the eligible individuals. This ensures that everyone is following the SOPs while also assuring that the food reaches the deserving individual without any delays.
About around 65 authorized farmers are using the California WIC card in the state of California. The program is working to make it accessible to more and more farmers in the coming year. The WIC card is more secure and easily accessible. A family can go out and buy the necessary food item from a farmer’s market when needed.

For Further Information

If you have any queries regarding the California Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP)
You can contact the Department of Public Health at the following number,
(916) 558- 1784
You can also contact the vendor at (855) 942-7867 to learn more about the farmers’ market. You can also go to the Farmers’ Resource webpage at the California Department of Public Health website to learn more about the resources and training and webinars arranged by the program.

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