Some seniors get help with nutrition

As a retired medical assistant, Colleen Gobroski knows all the reasons why she and other older people should eat more fruits and vegetables.

As a nutrition teacher for a Spokane senior center, she also knows why they don’t.

“I hear it all the time,” said Gobroski, 66. “They tell me, ‘We just can’t afford to eat that way; it’s too expensive.’ “

And Gobroski agrees. When raspberries sell for $2.50 a cup and lettuce climbs to nearly $2 a head, produce becomes too pricey for some older diners. Gobroski admits she wouldn’t be able to eat as well without a little help from a federal food program that takes the financial sting out of buying fresh fruits and vegetables.

Gobroski and her 86-year-old mother, Lillian Irvine, are among nearly 900 Eastern Washington senior citizens who received vouchers last year through the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, a nationwide effort to boost nutrition and expand the customer base for local growers.

“I can’t say enough good things about it,” said Gobroski, whose retirement income is a little more than $1,000 a month.

Gobroski and her mother each received $40, part of some $35,000 distributed in the area, according to Juanita Miller, program manager for Aging and Long Term Care of Eastern Washington.

This year’s vouchers, which come in $2 increments, will be distributed through local senior nutrition sites later this month.

Although $40 may not seem like a lot for an entire season of produce, it was plenty, Gobroski said.

“You would be amazed at what you can get for $40,” she said. “I look forward to the vegetables. The cucumbers and the tomatoes, those I dearly love, and most all of the squashes.”

Last year, more than 16,000 Washington residents were served through the program, which is available to participants 60 and older with incomes below about $18,000 a year.

Benefits to the customers are significant, said Miller. It’s well known that diets rich in fruits and vegetables help reduce the risk of diseases ranging from cancer to high blood pressure and health problems such as obesity.

Providing access to a steady food source also helps reduce hunger among senior citizens. Washington ranks fifth in the nation in the number of people who experience hunger, federal studies have shown.

“It’s a really good community outreach program,” said Anna Ethington, coordinator of the Humble Earth Farmers Market, one of several local markets that participate in the program.

Just as important as the benefits to seniors, however, is the boost the program gives to small, local farmers.

“It really helps them out,” Ethington said.

Last year, nearly 700 farmers participated at almost 70 markets in Washington, including about a half dozen markets in Eastern Washington. Total farm sales through the program topped $430,000, state figures showed.

On Sunday, a handful of area farmers braved heavy rain to display tables of fresh herbs, vegetables and leafy greens near Shadle Park. Although seniors have yet to sign up for this year’s program, participation last year was brisk, said Pany Vu, whose mother, Lylo Vu, owns and operates Lylo’s Garden in Otis Orchards.

Ethington said seniors she serves favored carrots and fresh peaches. But there are other favorites as well.

“The berries were very popular,” Pany Vu said. “They don’t even let me bag it.”