News

Through a pilot program aptly named Clinton County FreshConnect, Council on Aging (COA) partnered with the Clinton County Foundation and the Clinton County Farmers’ Market to distribute $1,000 in fresh food assistance to older adults at the market’s Community Resource Day, Aug. 22.

Forty older adults received FreshConnect coupon booklets valued at $25 each for use with participating vendors at the market. The market opened at 8:30 a.m. and the vouchers were distributed in a matter of minutes.

Wilmington couple Raymond and Stacy like to attend the market as much as possible to get fresh corn, local honey and amish blueberries. They made a point to visit the Aug. 22 market after their daughter told them about the FreshConnect vouchers.

“We couldn’t pass up the free vouchers,” the couple said.

Sally Buchanan, R.N., represents Clinton County on Council on Aging’s Board of Trustees and managed the farmers’ market for more than five years. She attended the Aug. 22 market to help distribute vouchers and share information about COA’s programs and services in the county.

“Over the years as market manager, I saw the challenges many Clinton County older adults face with food insecurity and access to fresh produce,” said Buchanan. “That’s why this collaboration was so appreciated. The response at the market was wonderful – everyone who received vouchers was grateful, and it was great to see how much fresh produce they were able to take home.”

The FreshConnect pilot was launched at a critical time. The county’s allocation through the Ohio Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program fell from 129 participants in 2025 to just 34 in 2026, leaving many eligible older adults without assistance for fresh produce.

For seniors living on fixed incomes, the cost of healthy, fresh food can compete with other essential expenses such as prescription medications and utility bills. The goal of the FreshConnect program was to give older adults greater freedom to choose nutrient-rich, locally grown food that supports health, independence and quality of life.

“This pilot is a small investment with a direct community benefit,” said Jennifer Heck, nutrition business relations partner for Council on Aging. “It helps older adults bring healthy food home, supports local growers and gives us valuable insight into unmet food-access needs.”

FreshConnect was designed to do more than distribute vouchers. At the market, COA staff and volunteers collected voluntary information about participants’ shopping habits, past farmers’ market benefit use and whether cost limits their ability to purchase produce.

That feedback, combined with voucher redemption data, will help COA and its partners better understand local food-access challenges and consider future nutrition initiatives for older adults.

“This was a fantastic response,” said Lynn Deatherage, chief financial officer of the Clinton County Foundation. “The vouchers were fully distributed in less than 10 minutes, which taught us a lot as we think about how FreshConnect might continue to serve our community. We appreciate COA providing leadership and advocacy in our community for older adults and we look forward to collaborating on future projects.”

The Clinton County FreshConnect pilot was funded by a $1,000 contribution from the Clinton County Foundation through Energize Clinton County with support by Council on Aging.