In McDowell County, the Farm to Senior Services project is demonstrating how local agriculture, community partnerships and senior nutrition can work hand in hand. The initiative is helping connect older adults with fresh, locally grown food while strengthening the region’s agricultural economy through a collaboration between the Foothills Food Hub (a program of McDowell Local Food Advisory Council), the McDowell Senior Center and N.C. Cooperative Extension.

Tim Burke, Operations Manager of the Foothills Food Hub, has a passion for food access and community building. As Burke explains, the Food Hub’s mission is simple but powerful: “We want to make sure that nobody in McDowell County is hungry, and we want to feed them with as much local food as possible.” Through Farm to Senior Services, that vision is reaching an often underserved population.

Tim Burke’s commitment to serving older adults comes from a strong connection to both food and community. As a farmer, cook and food systems advocate, he has long worked at the intersection of agriculture and service. “I love to feed folks,” he says. His time working in nursing homes and retirement communities deepened his respect for seniors and the knowledge they carry. “There’s a tremendous amount of wisdom in that population,” he reflects. Today, that belief guides his work to ensure older adults have access not only to nutritious meals, but also to dignity, connection and support.

Burke has worked with the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) for several years, starting as part of the 2020 Farm to Senior Services cohort focused on addressing the barriers keeping local food out of senior services institutions. Tight budgets, length of transportation in mountain areas and the higher cost of local foods still persist as obstacles, but thanks to the work of partners like the Foothills Food Hub, seniors now have access to fresh produce, while local farmers expand their markets.

This program also strengthens food system resilience, a lesson underscored after Hurricane Helene, when disruptions in meal delivery exposed how quickly seniors can become vulnerable to food insecurity. Meals on Wheels services operating out of Asheville were destroyed by the storm, and the McDowell Senior Center’s meal delivery program was suspended when the facility was taken over by FEMA. Almost overnight, hundreds of older adults faced increased uncertainty about where their next meal would come from. The Foothills Food Hub and the local network of farmers responded quickly, working with Equal Plates to distribute roughly 800 frozen meals each week to seniors across the county. “To be able to bring them meals twice a week, the gratitude […] it’s very rewarding,” Burke reflected. The crisis revealed not only the challenges facing rural seniors but also the power of a connected community to step up when neighbors need one another most. In many ways, Farm to Senior Services builds on those same lessons, creating stronger local food systems that can support both everyday nutrition and community resilience when future challenges arise.

Inspired by Farm to Senior Services efforts in McDowell County, older adults participated in a free community market made possible by the Foothills Food Hub through support from Manna FoodBank, helping strengthen connections between healthy food, community and local agriculture.

At the Extension office community garden in Burke County, Vivian Lawrence walks between rows of herbs, greens, peppers and garlic confidently showing the potatoes she’s growing in vertical cardboard boxes. Just a few years ago, gardening was completely new to her. Now, through her connection with Cooperative Extension in Burke County, she has become a vocal supporter of local food access, especially for older adults across Western North Carolina. Led through partnerships between the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Burke County Agents, local farmers and senior-serving organizations, the Farm to Senior Services Project is focused on connecting seniors with fresh, local foods while creating opportunities for education, community involvement and healthier living.

For Lawrence, the journey started with a major wake-up call about her health. “I was eating what was killing me,” she shared during a recent interview at the garden. Concerned about stroke and heart disease, she began changing the way she ate, clearing processed foods out of her home and learning how to cook with fresh ingredients instead. Not long after, she was introduced to the community garden through an Extension class. “I wanted to give it a try,” she said. Going into her third year gardening, Lawrence now grows everything from greens and tomatoes to chamomile, holy basil, ginger and Japanese sweet potatoes. She laughs when talking about learning to cook with unfamiliar vegetables and herbs. “It’s more of a test and trial,” she said. “What works well, what doesn’t work.” Along the way, gardening became more than a hobby. It became part of her daily wellness routine and a way to stay active, curious and connected. “That’s been a blessing to me,” she said. “I don’t have no issues right now.”

Supporting stories like Lawrence’s is one of the goals behind the Farm to Senior Services Project. Taylor Lynn, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent with Cooperative Extension in Burke County, says the project is about much more than food distribution alone. “The role of Extension in bringing these local seasonal foods to older adults is really education first,” Lynn explained. “We partner with seniors, we partner with farmers. We all just work together.” In a large rural county like Burke, transportation, cost and access remain major barriers for many older adults trying to purchase fresh foods regularly. Lawrence pointed out that many seniors simply “eat what they got” because healthier options are harder to reach or harder to afford. Through partnerships with the senior center, local growers and community organizations, the project hopes to make local foods easier to access while also helping seniors learn how to prepare nutritious meals at home. The Empowering Mountain Food Systems project of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems is bridging these gaps to foster resilient local food economies and healthy rural communities across Western North Carolina. Ideas already being discussed by county teams include produce distributions, cooking classes and  bringing fresh foods directly into communities where transportation is limited. “I’m hoping it can also garner some stronger social connections between our seniors,” Lynn shared, noting how important these programs can be in reducing isolation alongside improving nutrition.

What is happening in Burke County is an example of other innovative approaches to bring local food to older adults in Western North Carolina. Each county involved in Farm to Senior Services is building partnerships that fit the needs of its own community, while learning from one another along the way. For Lawrence, the message is simple: healthier eating starts with small changes and a willingness to try something new. “We need to eat better,” she said. “We sit down with our meals, slow down and enjoy your food.” It is that spirit that continues to make Farm to Senior Services such a meaningful effort, both in Burke County and beyond.

Badger and the EMFS team serve 12 counties in Western North Carolina, along with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, providing business education and support to farmers and food entrepreneurs. She brings nearly a decade of experience in specialty food marketing and corporate grocery retail management to her role, along with a deep-rooted passion for agriculture and business.

A graduate of NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with a degree in Agricultural Business Management, Badger is also a first-generation college student. Her interest in agriculture began early. As a child, she spent summers picking wild blackberries to sell at her local tailgate market, running her own small stand and earning her first $100. That early experience sparked a lasting interest in the intersection of agriculture and entrepreneurship.

Badger’s work reflects a strong commitment to integrity, ensuring that programs and resources are managed transparently and effectively in service to North Carolina’s farming communities. We are proud to work alongside Badger and congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition.