Farm to Senior Services
Project Description
Unlocking institutional markets for local farmers creates profitable market potential, opportunities to improve healthy food options, and greater community resilience. However, institutional local food procurement is often limited by contracts, seasonality, and supply chain logistics. Smaller county-based institutions, such as senior food services, can be more accessible and require year-round volumes that match well with small and mid-scale farms. In addition, senior food services are often connected to local government offices motivated to support the viability of local farmers and food businesses. Senior food services vary but may include home food delivery and congregate meal sites or produce box delivery programs. These services provide healthy, fresh foods to a growing older adult population that often experiences high levels of isolation and food insecurity. Farm to Senior Services programs can provide much-needed nutritious food for older adults while increasing economic opportunities for local farmers and food businesses.
Are you interested in starting or improving Farm to Senior Services in your area?
Start with these steps:
- Check out the Farm to Senior Services: Guide to Building Networks and Local Food Pathways in Senior Centers.
- Contact your Cooperative Extension County Center for ideas on building a F2SS Team in your area.
Join the new NC Farm to Senior Services Network by filling out this form. You will receive updates and resources from the farmtoseniorservices@lists.ncsu.edu listserv.
2020-2023 Farm to Senior Services Pilots
Between 2020 and 2023, the NC Farm to Senior Services (F2SS) program supported programming in three pilot counties: McDowell, Scotland, and Warren Counties to learn how local food pathways could be created for county-run senior centers. The program supported three County F2SS Teams, which included Extension agents, food councils, farmers, intermediary food businesses, and institutional buyers. The project aimed to improve institutional procurement policy, address procurement challenges of county-based institutions, provide resources and technical assistance for farmers, and support increased availability of local foods for older adult populations in North Carolina. These three pilot counties were selected based on their geographic variation, existence of established food councils, and USDA designation as low income/low access areas.
Community Partners
Community collaborators for the 2020-2023 pilot include McDowell County Cooperative Extension, McDowell County Senior Center, McDowell County Local Food Advisory Council, and Foothills Food Hub; Scotland County Cooperative Extension, Lumber River Council of Government’s Area Agency on Aging, ScotLand Grows, and Sandhills AgInnovation Center; Warren County Cooperative Extension, Warren County Senior Center, Warren County Local Foods Promotion Council, and Working Landscapes. Additional partners include Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, Isothermal Planning and Development Commission, and Good Food Purchasing Program.
Grant Year Three at a Glance
In Year 3, all three food hubs and senior services built and/or sustained local food pathways via food boxes and prepared meals that included local produce and meat, with 1,148 senior citizens receiving local food produced by 22 farmers and distributed by three food hub intermediaries. In the Sandhills pilot region, local food distribution continued in two additional counties beyond the original pilot county in that region and also grew to include local nonprofit organizations supported by senior services funding.
Cumulative local food sales to senior services over the three pilot years totaled over $246,000, with an increase in resulting sales far over 100% when compared to baseline sales.
Food systems interns in McDowell and Warren counties built connections with older adults, continued to form strong relationships with local F2SS partners, and expanded their knowledge of food systems through professional development.
Intern Lydia (McDowell) packing produce boxes at Foothills Food Hub
Intern Tori (Warren) on a farm site visit to learn about season extension in strawberry production
Grant Year Two at a Glance
In Year 2, local food pathways continued between all three of our partnering food hubs and senior services through food boxes and prepared meals containing local produce and/or meat. In two regions, food hubs expanded local food sales for older adults into 4 additional counties. Over both years, local food purchases for senior food services have reached $169,427; at least 70 farmers have increased their sales through the program; and over 3,700 meals or food boxes containing local food have been provided to older adults.
County team members implemented some policy changes in Year 2 that have and will continue to positively impact local food procurement, including:
- one senior center changed menu planning from a quarterly to monthly cycle to accommodate planning around seasonality of farm products
- one food hub changed local food goals to include at least one local produce ingredient and local, pasture-raised meats (when meat was the protein) into each prepared senior meal
Supply chain interns continued to support food hubs in summer 2022. Over grant Year 1 and Year 2, interns have built capacity for food hubs and supported local food pathways through activities such as:
- Presenting on local foods through Extension and local senior centers
- Washing eggs
- Collecting farmer readiness surveys
- Connecting with senior citizens through conversation and storytelling
Charlie packing orders at Foothills Food Hub in McDowell County
Benjamin presenting nutrition lessons to seniors in the Sandhills with Richmond County Extension
We are excited about the progress that was made in Year 2 for Farm to Senior Services in North Carolina. In the final year of the grant, we will focus on continued statewide networking with a focus on funding for sustained programming and identifying procurement policies, continuing to partner with county agents to provide appropriate resources for farmers, and building and expanding on local food pathways through activities such as an additional internship opportunity, marketing efforts, and sharing information through workshops and how-to guides.
Grant Year One at a Glance
County teams in Warren, Scotland, and McDowell counties connect CEFS with local residents and farmers. In grant year one, two out of three county teams were successful in creating local food pathways that have provided local food to older adults participating in county senior food services programs.
One county team member expressed value in the F2SS program in that it “has deepened [their] relationship with the other members of [their] team which has helped [them] in [their] role as an extension agent.”
We are excited about the progress that has been made in year one for the F2SS program, despite hiring challenges and COVID-related restrictions. In the second year of the grant, we continue to build on the successes we’ve made in supporting and building leadership in the county-based F2SS teams, in exploring and creating pathways for local foods into senior food services, and in networking county teams with each other and with other practitioners working on farm to senior food services across the state.
Resources
Farm to Senior Services How To Guide
Coming soon!
Farm to Senior Services:
Connecting Local Farmers with Older Adults in McDowell County
News
CEFS Supply Chain Interns Support Local Food Hubs
CEFS' Supply Chain Internship supports local food hubs in increasing their capacity to connect farmers with institutional markets. The Farm to Senior Services (F2SS) program is based in three pilot counties across North Carolina and aims to increase local food procurement in county-based senior food services. During summer 2021, three supply chain interns were based at different food hubs where they improved their professional skills while moving the goals of the pilot program forward.
Creating new pathways to bring local foods from farmers to older adults across North Carolina
The Farm to Senior Services project will create and connect three county-based teams including Extension agents, food councils, farmers, intermediary food businesses (e.g. food hubs or aggregators), and senior meal service institutional buyers. The project team aims to improve institutional procurement policy, address procurement challenges of county-based institutions, provide resources and technical assistance for farmers, and support increased availability of local foods for older adults in North Carolina.