Farmers Market checks are delayed, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
The checks are available through the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. They help provide WIC recipients and low income seniors with locally grown food from approved farmers' in Pennsylvania.
This year the department transitioned the checks to a hybrid electronic solution. The new format allows farmers to deposit their checks quicker and easier. However, the change has resulted in significant computer programming delays for the check printer.
The checks — five vouchers at $10 each — will still be available for the majority of the farmers market season. Check redemptions run through November 30.
The check distribution date in Lackawanna County has been pushed to July 14.
Updated: August 22, 2023 at 3:06 PM EDT
Due the state's delay in distribution, some were denied farmer's market checks at distribution sites. The Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging released a statement, saying the time crunch prevented checks from being sent by mail. The county organized in-person distributions but ran out of checks.
Seniors denied a check are on a waiting list and the county intends to provide them by the end of the season, or a similar accommodation. The Area Agency on Aging will also help people apply for other food assistance programs. Seniors can apply the Senior Food Box Program and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) at the following locations on the morning of August 31st:
Dunmore Community Center – 9:30 am - 11:30 am
North Pocono Senior Center (Covington Township Police Department Building) – 9:30 am - 11:30 am
Taylor Community Center – 9:30 am - 11:30 am
Throop Civic Center - 9:30 am - 11:30 am
Green Ridge Senior Apartments, 1651 Dickson Ave, Scranton, PA 18509 – 10 am - 12 pm
