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1777-A Capitola Road, Santa Cruz 95062 www.seniornetworkservices.org A Nonprofit Community Agency Santa Cruz County's Official Information & Assistance Provider call: 831-462-1433 email: info@seniornetworkservices.org Unbiased, No Cost Medicare Counseling Santa Cruz call: 831-462-5510 San Benito call: 831-637-0630 email: hicap@seniornetworkservices.org Shared Housing I Housing Navigation I Home Help call: 831-462-6788 email: housing@seniornetworkservices.org Respite Registry I Respite Grants call: 831-462-0880 email: respite@seniornetworkservices.org SENIOR NETWORK SERVICES Farmers...continued from page 1 Foot and Ankle Issues? Dr. Tea Nguyen enhances patient outcomes with restorative therapies and minimally invasive techniques in our patient centered facility. We Love Treating: • Amputation Prevention • Ankle Pain • Ankle Sprains • Achilles Tendonitis • Bunions • Callus, Corns, Warts • Diabetic Foot Care • Flat Feet in kids & adults • Foot Fractures • Ganglion Cysts • Geriatric Foot Care • Hammertoes • Heel Pain (plantar fasciitis) • Ingrown Toenail • Minimally Invasive Procedures • Mole Removal • Neuropathy, Neuromas • Pediatric Foot Care • Plastic Surgery Techniques • Regenerative Medicine • Scar Removal • Second Opinions • Soft Tissue Disorders • Stress Fractures • Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome • Tendonitis • Toenail Fungus • Wounds Call Today for A Consultation 831-288-3400 New location 9500 Soquel Dr Ste A, Aptos 95003 831feet.com several Japanese miso and koji products to use in your own cooking. From the prepared food options, Nicole suggests, among many others, Plea- sure Point Bakery "with unique gluten-free breads made of amazing ingre- dients, dense and seedy." The bakery currently rotates every other week between the LO and WS markets. "Also, I think what Hakouya is offering is really special." Looking for a distinctive gift or some pottery for yourself? There is pottery for sale most weeks at the DT, WS and LO markets, and occasionally at SV. "It's a cooperative of local potters and a few indepen- dents like Juya Ceramics," says Nicole. If you're a senior, you should know that as you shop, you can leave your grocery bags at the info table, so you don't have to carry heavy items around the market. Also, SCCFM works with the Senior Council annually to distribute senior vouch- ers to use at the farmers' markets. "These are generally booklets valued at $30-$40 for fresh fruits and veggies," says Nicole. "They are distributed in late July/August most years but are not a guaran- tee every year." For those on a fixed income, there is another benefit to shopping at the markets. People can use SNAP dollars (Supple- mental Nutrition Assis- tance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) to pur- chase items after process- ing their EBT cards to receive tokens. And their dollars are matched with additional funds for buy- ing fresh fruits and vege- tables. The Market Match (MM) program works like this: farmers' market customers with CalFresh (EBT/SNAP) cards get a dollar-for-dollar match up to $10. For example, if a CalFresh customer swipes their card for $10 they receive $10 in market match tokens at no charge. A $7 swipe equals a $7 match. A $20 swipe equals a $10 match as the match maximum is $10. These matching dollars can be used to purchase fresh produce only— no prepared food or anything else—as one of the MM goals is to promote healthy eating habits. There are some- times double match- es available through community sponsors. For example, a current promotion expiring at the end of June enables CalFresh recipients shop- ping at the downtown SC market to receive two MM tokens for every EBT token for the first $10 swiped. $10 of EBT currently becomes $30 at this market, thanks to the City of Santa Cruz. And the double match might expand to the Westside market for May and June. "Many seniors use MM and say it has improved their health and their happiness," says Nicole. Bliss, a local low-income senior, is "…very much aware of the benefits for my health resulting from the continued Market Match program. I can eat the freshest fruits and veg- gies that encompass most, if not all, the colors of the rainbow—exceptionally strong nutritional value." Another customer, Marc, refers to MM as a lifesav- er. "The market produce/ products for sale become more affordable given my low monthly income as a Social Security elder." SCCFM's FoodShed Project (FSP) holds free family-friendly events at the Downtown, Felton, and Scotts Valley markets. FSP—which includes farmers, food artisans, community-based organi- zations, and chefs—high- lights food issues through interactive mini-classes, hands-on activities, music, face painting, and more. One of the educational program's goals is to spotlight the work being done in our area's regional foodshed. Nicole, who was raised in Santa Cruz County, joined SCCFM in 2012. She was hired to develop the FSP series, and her role grew from there. Prior to that, she had been doing food systems work in Detroit. She is very fulfilled by her job. "I love and am inspired by community building work. I believe small farms are doing the sacred work of sustainable ecological agriculture—maintaining our knowledge of food growing, plants and soil. I also love to eat, collab- orate, and increase access to nutritious food. Eating and sharing good food and working toward food justice is my jam." In summer 2023, SC- CFM's annual breakfast series returns. At these sit-down events, attend- ees sit at long commu- nal tables and enjoy multi-course, family style meals inspired by local-farm-sourced market ingredients. July 29 features food from chef Andy Huynh of Full Steam Dumpling; chef Katherine Stern of The Midway appears Aug. 12. There are three tiers of tickets; advance purchase is required (events always sell out). People are encouraged to buy the highest price they can afford so that people with less dis- cretionary income can buy lower-priced ones. Proceeds benefit the FSP and MM programs plus youth empowerment. For tickets and details, visit santacruzfarmersmarket. org. The markets are a joy to attend, and they have a stellar reputation in our community. There are many reasons behind this, including the em- ployees. "Our markets are run by a core group of staff; each has been with the organization between 8 and 22 years," says Nicole. "We all live in Santa Cruz County and want to improve this place. Our team works hard to bring in high-quality businesses and stay food centric." Also, SCCFM is very oriented to supporting re- gional farms. "We treasure their membership," she says. "We are also work- ing hard on food security/ access programs." Note: this article focuses on the markets operated by Santa Cruz Commu- nity Farmers Markets (santacruzfarmersmarket. org). We are fortunate to also have the nearby Saturday farmers market at Cabrillo College (mon- tereybayfarmers.org/ aptos-farmers-market), which happens weekly from 8 a.m. to noon. Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets oper- ates this one & it's a year- round Aptos market. Oth- er local markets include 2-6 p.m. Tuesdays at Ramsay Park (pvhealth- trust.org/el-mercado/) and 2-7 p.m. Fridays on Main St. (facebook.com/ watsonvillefarmersmar- ket), both in Watsonville. Customer using Market Match tokens. Photo courtesy of SCCFM Courtesy of SCCFM Photo by Tara Fatemi Walker Courtesy of SCCFM

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