SCES staffers Andrea Svartstrom and Lindsey Smilack handle bags of fresh vegetables, as part of a produce delivery effort that delivered more than $2,700 worth of fresh produce to homebound older adults in Cambridge and Somerville

Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) volunteers delivered more than $2,700 worth of fresh produce to local older adults on July 15. 

The delivery was part of the annual Farmers’ Market Coupon Program. Funded through the USDA and the Mass Department of Agricultural Resources, the program provides $25 of Farmers’ Market coupons for eligible older adults.

The coupons are accepted at Farmers’ Markets across the region, but SCES also provides delivery for homebound clients.

“This enables people to have the produce without having to go to the market,” said SCES Nutrition Director Meghan Ostrander.

The produce delivery is an annual event, but Ostrander said demand was up this year, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. She thanked the team of 10 volunteers, Nutrition Department staffers Andrea Svartstrom and Marva Wooden, and Colleen Morrissey and Lindsey Smilack of SCES Volunteer programs for helping with the distribution.

The distribution was a joint effort with the PACE ESP program at Cambridge Health Alliance. All told, 85 SCES clients and 25 PACE participants received deliveries.

The produce was provided by New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.

Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) is a non-profit agency that supports the independence and well-being of older people in Somerville and Cambridge. For more information about SCES nutrition programs, visit the Nutrition Page at eldercare.org, or contact the SCES Aging Information Center via email at info@eldercare.org or by calling 617-628-2601. For more information about SCES volunteer programs, visit the Get Involved page at eldercare.org, call 617-628-2601, or email vol@eldercare.org.