FMNP (Farmers Market Nutrition Program) is a win-win program. Seniors and WIC participants receive $20 and $24 checks respectively to purchase fresh produce from the farmers market during high season (June to November.) While these sums do not seem large, they ensure that our urban low-income seniors and young and expecting families have access to the freshest, most nutritious fruits and vegetables available. Moreover, it provides crucial revenue to small farmers and our rural economies by reinvesting real dollars into family businesses. Nearly half of FMNP funds are spent annually in New York City’s Greenmarkets, with our farmers redeeming $2.5 million in 2011.
The federal government has cut WIC FMNP by 30% ($1.16 million) and Senior FMNP by 7.5% ($140,000), totaling $1.3 million, in 2012. This will result in farmers markets closing in neighborhoods that need them most, inflicting real economic harm on these vulnerable groups during one of the deepest recessions of our lifetime.
Farmers who sell in markets in low-income communities depend heavily on programs such as FMNP and EBT/food stamps for their income. At some Greenmarkets, such as Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, and Corona, Queens, farmers receive almost no cash sales, with customers relying on federal and state nutrition programs to feed their families healthy foods. With drastic cuts to FMNP, farmers will not be able to afford to sell at some markets, resulting in market closures and the removal of what is sometimes one of the only healthy sources of food in a neighborhood.
Sign the petition at the Jackson Heights Greenmarket info tent this Sunday or visit
http://www.change.org/petitions/the-u-s-senate-restore-the-cuts-made-to-wic-and-senior-fmnp-in-new-york-state
Topic: Greenmarket- Help restore crucial funding to WIC & Senior FMNP in NY State! (Read 1063 times)