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Description
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Provides
low-income seniors with coupons that can be used to purchase
fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs from farmers at
authorized farmers’ markets or roadside stands, or with
shares in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs for
regularly distributed bags or boxes of eligible foods. |
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Works to
increase the consumption of agricultural commodities by
expanding, developing or aiding in the development and
expansion of domestic farmers’ markets, roadside stands and
CSA programs. |
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Operates
in areas of 39 States, 7 tribal organizations, Puerto Rico
and the District of Columbia. |
Background
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The program was created as a pilot program in FY 2001; it
was established by Congress as a permanent program in FY
2002 under the Farm Bill, and reauthorized through FY 2012
by the 2008 Farm Bill. |
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Grant funds may be used to support both food and
administrative costs: up to 10 percent of a State agency’s
total SFMNP grant may be used as administrative funds. |
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SFMNP
participants’ Federal food benefit may not be less than $20
or more than $50 per year, per participant, with certain
exceptions allowed for State agencies that are grandfathered
into the permanent program, based on their participation in
FY 2006. State agencies may supplement the per participant
benefit level. |
Participants
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In FY
2007, 697,739 low-income seniors purchased food with SFMNP
benefits
from 14,128 farmers at 2,727 farmers’ markets, as well as
2,300 roadside stands, and 155 CSA programs. |
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Low-income seniors at least 60 years old who have household
incomes of not more than 185 percent of the federal poverty
income guidelines ($25,900 for a two-person household as of
July 1, 2008). |
Budget
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$15
million in FY 2007; $20.6 million for each FY from
2008-2012. |
Contact Information
Last modified: January 2009
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