Northern Poconos Mobile Farm Market in second season in Wayne County, weekly at most sites

The second year for the Northern Poconos Mobile Farm Market in Wayne County hosted by The Cooperage Project is underway, bringing locally produced farm products to underserved locations. This year, the farm market van will be available weekly, rather than monthly as in 2023.

Laurel Burns, food and market manager for the program, said that so far, they have four sites with hopes to add two or three more. The sites and their times of operation are as follows:

• Northern Wayne: Preston Township Municipal Building, 1515 Crosstown Highway, Lakewood. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to noon.
• Honesdale (new site): Fred Miller Pavillion at the Park & Shop lot, Main Street. Thursdays, 4 to 6 p.m.
• Honesdale: Maple City Apartments, 3 Corey St. Fridays, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
• Hawley: Hawley Village Apartments. The farm market is there on a monthly schedule, open exclusively for residents of Hawley Village Apartments.

They are hoping to locate a site on Route 590 between Hamlin and Hawley, in the Waymart area and in Pike County, she said.

"Basically, areas where there is a gap in local produce and local foods. They are not served by farmers markets and are not served by grocery stores," she said.

Burns stated that there used to be more underserved areas in Wayne County, but the arrival of Dollar General stores and some pharmacies that sell groceries has helped. Burns added, however, these areas may still lack access to fresh nutritious foods.

They plan to keep the markets open through late October, and until Thanksgiving if there is sufficient interest and products, she said.

She said that last year there were five to seven sites, but they were only open monthly. Certain sites were eliminated because they were less financially sustainable.

Burns was hired last year under a grant to run the new program. She said 2023 was their pilot year and they learned what worked better.

Another employee was added this year, Ally Spaciano, as Mobile Market coordinator, operating the van and sites.

"The Mobile Market was born out of COVID-era programming," she said. "During that time The Cooperage Project had several different food relief programs including meals that were delivered to senior citizens." Burns noted that this made food accessible to seniors confined to their homes during the pandemic and provided “a friendly face during such isolating times."

The Cooperage Project conducted a survey and learned that seniors have a harder time accessing fresh food products, largely due to transportation. The county vans are not available on weekends when most of the farm markets are open.

"The idea was hatched, instead of bringing people to the farmer's market, let's bring the farmer's market to the people," Burns said. Funding was secured.

She stated that this is the only mobile farm market in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Although their principal audience is senior citizens, she said they also hope to serve anyone with low to moderate income, or with dietary health conditions, with difficulty accessing healthy, local foods.

They are working with additional farmers this year to focus on the most desired products, she said, such as tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers rather than unique varieties. For the first time, they are offering frozen, locally bred beef and pork products, which she said has been highly successful. Milk, eggs and cheese are also offered.

"We are also doing this to help out the farmers, we are giving them an additional market outlet and get them their name out there a little but more," Burns said. "We are very dedicated to selling only locally grown and produced foods, so you are not going to find bananas; you are not going to find citrus fruits. If it is not in season here, you are not going to find it."

Staff picks up food products from the farms weekly and stores it in the walk-in freezer and kitchen facility at the county's Park Street Complex until it is delivered to the sites.

Ways to pay

In addition to cash and credit cards, Mobile Farm Market customers can pay in the following ways.

New this year, they are able to accept food stamp payments through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Farmers Market Nutrition Program $10 vouchers are also now accepted, she said. WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) recipients also may benefit from these vouchers at the mobile markets.

Another voucher available is through the Nutrition Education Awareness Rewards (NEAR) Cash program. Burns said that these vouchers are distributed as a reward for attending health and wellness programming, or for participating in Wayne Memorial's Food Rx Program.

"SNAP beneficiaries can exchange SNAP funds for NEAR Cash vouchers that can be used with many local farms in the area who participate in the traditional farmers markets," Burns said. Among them are the Wayne County Farmers Market (Saturday mornings in Honesdale front of Dave's Super Duper) and the Hawley Farmers Market (Friday afternoons in Bingham Park).

She added that SNAP recipients can also earn $10 in NEAR Cash as an incentive for purchasing more than $10 in fresh local foods at the Mobile Market. These can be redeemed on a future purchase.

The Cooperage Project is a nonprofit organization based in Honesdale, focusing on youth programming, food markets and arts and culture, according to its website. They operate a winter farmers market indoors, from early November to late April.

For more information, visit thecooperageproject.org or call 570-253-2020.

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Northern Poconos Mobile Farm Market in second season in Wayne County, weekly at most sites