Moving the Feast

In 2023, a team of farmers and community advocates tested mobile markets as a way to help low-income seniors access fresh, local food In 2022, Karen Tellin saw a need and knew she was uniquely positioned to address it. As the service coordinator for two low-income senior housing complexes in Cedar Rapids and Marion, Iowa, Karen's responsibilities include connecting residents with community resources and advocating for the residents' wellness. Karen saw that the seniors she served were unable to buy food for a healthy diet on their limited fixed incomes. “As you get older, you can't get all the nutrients that you need because you have to go by your budget,” Karen says.

Through the regional Heritage Area Agency on Aging, Karen knew about a program designed to make fresh, local food accessible to low-income aging adults: the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. This federal program provides eligible low-income seniors with fresh, locally grown produce, herbs and honey. Those who sign up receive a benefits card, sometimes referred to as a voucher, they can use at approved farmers markets and farm stands. Because of their low-income status, all of Karen's 108 residents qualified for the program, yet voucher usage remained low. When Karen asked why, she learned that issues like transportation to the farmers market, accessible spaces within the market and chronic health and aging conditions were all barriers. Luckily for these seniors, Karen is in the business of addressing barriers. “You just have to start asking until you figure out something,” Karen says. “I'm just a big advocate when I see a need like that.” She started making calls, beginning with Feed Iowa First, a Cedar Rapids-based nonprofit whose mission is to combat food insecurity by growing food and farmers. Karen asked the group's director at the time, Emmaly Renshaw, what it would take to get farmers to sell to seniors right in the parking lot of the housing complexes. “Answering that question wasn't really within our scope of work at Feed Iowa First,” Emmaly says. “But Karen was very persistent, and the need really was clear.” In early 2023, Emmaly reached out to local farmer Carmen Black, of Sundog Farms, who raises produce near Solon, Iowa. Carmen had just attended PFI's annual conference, where she heard Kansas-based keynote speaker Donna Pearson McClish discuss this very topic – serving low-income seniors through mobile markets via Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers. “Hearing Donna really helped me make the connection,” Carmen says. “Previously, customers tried to pay with senior vouchers and I didn't know what they were.” But this federal program works differently in different states. As Donna shared in her conference presentation, the rules guiding FMNP in Kansas let seniors use their vouchers at mobile markets. In Iowa, by contrast, FMNP vouchers could be accepted only at authorized farmers markets or farm stands that met specific criteria, such as a minimum number of operating hours most days of the week during the summer. The rules at the time also allowed just one farmers market or farm stand to be authorized within a 10-mile radius. While the original aim was to support farmers selling at farmers markets, Iowa's more restrictive rules meant that mobile markets didn't qualify. They also meant that people wishing to use FMNP vouchers had to travel farther to access an approved site. “Of course we want [state programs] to support farmers markets, but in this case, it was at the expense of seniors,” says Emmaly. Implementing the mobile market model in Iowa would require special permission from the state. Undaunted, Emmaly reached out to John Krzton-Presson, who heads the Farmers Market Nutrition Program for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. “I pointed out that the program wasn't serving the seniors it intends to reach because of so much red tape,” Emmaly says. She proposed doing a pilot program with a mobile market and collecting data at the two low-income apartments she works at. The proposal turned out to be well-timed. Iowa's FMNP rules were due for a refresh in early 2024, and John agreed that piloting the mobile market made sense.

Filling a Gap

After months of back-and-forth discussion, navigating rules, compromise and troubleshooting, mobile market days at the two senior housing complexes launched in July 2023, with support from IDALS. In addition to Carmen, Emmaly had also recruited Mari Hunt Wassink – who farms in Cedar Rapids on land owned by Feed Iowa First through its Equitable Land Access program – to take part in the market pilot. A third vendor – Fuzzy Bees Honey, LLC, owned by Darin and Michelle Yauslin – learned about the mobile market opportunity while selling at their usual weekly market at Taube Park in Marion. For six weeks in July and August, the farmers set up shop each week in the buildings' parking lots. “The first week we pulled up, there was a line of wheelchairs waiting for us. It was really sweet, and they were so excited,” Carmen says. “The [mobile] farmers market became a huge highlight for the seniors each week – it was like an event!”

Darin recalls how the seniors who attended all looked forward to the weekly opportunity. “They connected with one another and with us,” Darin says. “It was neat to see on their faces that they genuinely were excited to share their memories and experiences.” The market felt particularly impactful to Mari because it powerfully aligned with her farm's core values. “After working on other farms, I started my own farm, Black Earth Gardens, in 2023 with a focus on regenerative agriculture, foods that are culturally important for Black communities and increasing access to healthy local food that's sustainably grown,” Mari says. “All people deserve food like that, not just people who are from the right neighborhood or who are at the top levels of financial status.” Mari was able to build relationships with customers through the mobile markets. She recalls a couple of men who were enthusiastic about the hot peppers. “Carmen and I consulted with them about what peppers were best for what uses,” Mari says. “One woman and I bonded the over the melons I grew. Her father had grown yellow watermelons, and she hadn't seen one since she was little. Everyone was so excited about having fresh fruit, so the melons were popular.” Carmen's experience was similar. “It wasn't even about the food. It was about that sense of connection, which I wasn't expecting.” And as compelling as community connections are, financial viability is another key concern for farmers. Mari and Emmaly both highlighted the profit potential of the mobile market model. “It was actually pretty great for me,” Mari says. “The market usually took 30-45 minutes, and I would make the same amount that I would make in three hours at a [regular] farmers market.” In November 2023, Carmen, Mari, Emmaly and Karen met with John from IDALS to share their data. The pilot was a clear success, increasing senior voucher use at these two complexes by 218% while yielding physical and mental health benefits. “John was really interested in the mobile market pilot, and he agreed to try to keep that model in mind through the process of updating the FMNP rules,” Carmen says. In 2024, Iowa's Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program rules were expanded to allow seniors to use vouchers for CSA shares and at approved farmers markets, farm stands, movable farm stands and mobile markets. Mobile markets still require special permission, but the model is now proven and replicable in other locations, opening doors for both farmers and seniors around the state. Back in Cedar Rapids, Carmen, Mari and Karen are excited about plans for their mobile markets in 2024, which include increasing the number of mobile market sites and dates. “Moving food to where it needs to go is critical,” Carmen says. “If we are going to feed our communities, we have to provide access to healthy foods.” Mari agrees. “When local food gets into the hands of seniors who have these vouchers, it's good for young farmers, and it's good for seniors, too.”

Curious about how to support seniors in your community?

• Connect with organizations working with seniors in your community to identify the gaps you may help fill.
• Consider if and where a mobile market might make fresh produce more accessible to seniors.
• Reach out to state agencies and elected officials to share your story and advocate for your community. Get approved to accept FMNP vouchers.

Learn More

Watch Donna Pearson McClish's keynote presentation at PFI's 2023 Annual Conference. Find your Area Agency on Aging. Learn how to get approved to accept SFMNP vouchers.