Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Available for WIC Participants

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania: Maternal and Family Health Services (MFHS) announced that the agency’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Centers are distributing farmers’ market vouchers to WIC participants throughout Eastern Pennsylvania. The Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) helps families with nutritional needs buy fresh fruits and vegetables from Pennsylvania farmers, supporting good health for mothers and children and providing economic support to local farmers’ markets.

FMNP provides qualifying WIC participants with $30 in vouchers to purchase Pennsylvania grown fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets between June 1, 2024 and November 30, 2024.  Pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, and children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old are eligible.

WIC nutrition staff distribute the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program vouchers to WIC participants along with nutrition education emphasizing the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables and a list of participating farmers’ markets in the area.  WIC participants will receive the FMNP vouchers during their scheduled eWIC card reloading appointment during the summer.

The Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program is sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.  Across the Commonwealth, over 1,000 farmers benefit from the program. 

For more information about WIC, FMNP, or to apply for WIC, visit www.mfhs.org, or call 1-800-367-6347.

PA WIC is funded by the USDA. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. 

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Maternal and Family Health Services is a non-profit health and human service organization working to improve the health of Pennsylvania women and children by offering programs that prevent disease, promote wellness, and empower individuals to make healthy choices. The agency oversees a network of health and nutrition centers in 17 Pennsylvania counties serving over 90,000 individuals each year through the following core programs: WIC Nutrition Program, Family Planning Program, Nurse-Family Partnership, the SafeTeens Initiative, and the Healthy Beginnings Plus Prenatal Program.  For more information, call 1-800-367-6347, or visit www.mfhs.org.

The information below is NOT part of the proposed release.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

fax:

(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

email:

program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.