The diners at the Delaware County senior meals sites will enjoy fresh produce as part of this month's special evening meal.
Delaware Opportunities Executive Director John Eberhard said the Delaware County Office for the Aging received a grant from the O'Connor Foundation to launch the initiative to use locally grown fresh produce at the senior meals sites.
A variety of fresh vegetables will be served. The meals will all be served at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the following sites:
6 Court St. in Delhi
The Civic Center in Sidney
St. John the Baptist Church in Walton
The Civic Center in Grand Gorge
Eberhard said the site at the Baptist Church in Hancock would serve an evening meal on Sept. 16 and the Margaretville site will have a special meal at lunchtime Thursday.
Delaware Opportunities partnered with Amy Kenyon of Farm Catskills to orchestrate the project.
Kenyon said she hired Lizz Sigler, an AmeriCorp volunteer, through Farm Catskills to make contacts with the farmers who could provide fresh vegetables including summer squash, carrots, broccoli, kale, string beans, sweet corn, new and Yukon gold potatoes and beets.
Area farms participating in the program include Stony Creek Farm in Walton, Lucky Dog Farm in Hamden, Cold Spring Farm in Lawyersville, Heller's Farm in Bainbridge and Burn Ayr Farm in Delhi.
The senior meals sites have been using fresh vegetables whenever they were available during lunchtime meals, but the same vegetables are not served at every site.
Leonard Prezorski, owner of Cold Spring Farm, said he advertises with Pure Catskills, which led him to participate in the program.
"It's a great thing," Prezorski said. "It's an additional market and since I come to Walton to work it works out well for me _ I just load my car and drop off vegetables on my way to work.
"It's great that folks are looking to buy local," Prezorski said. "It's fresh-picked in the morning and they get to eat it later the same day."
Kathy Sullivan of Burn Ayr Farm said it was a call from Sigler that got her involved in the program.
"We sent them beets, potatoes and summer squash," Sullivan said. "It depends on what we have."
Kate Marsiglio of Stony Creek Farm said, "We are really excited about this. It has been our goal to feed local people."
The evening meals are held from late spring to early fall and feature special touches such as appetizers or punch.
The meals are open to seniors age 60 and older and the suggested donation for the evening meal is $4. Reservations are not required but are appreciated to help determine the amount of food to prepare.
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