Market Days for Older Adults
Reducing Food Insecurity · Supporting Healthy Aging · Supporting Local Farmers
Market Days for Older Adults is a unique program that addresses food insecurity among older adults while supporting local agriculture. The program began in summer 2018.
How Market Days for Older Adults Works
We receive money from grants, sponsors and donations to buy food from local farmers who are at the Larimer County Farmers' Market. Volunteers then bag up the produce in reusable shopping totes.
We work with partner organizations to distribute the food across Larimer County, including rural areas like Berthoud, Loveland and Red Feather Lakes. Some recipients pick up their Market Days bag on Saturday at the Farmers' Market. Those who do not have access to transportation and are not affiliated with a community partner get home delivery.
Participants receive $18 worth of fresh produce bag every other week from June until the end of October.
Why Market Days is Important
Patricia Lipinski, FNP, is a Nurse Practitioner at St. Luke's Medical Clinic. She loves Market Days for older adults because of how it supports healthy aging for her clients. As she says:
“Many of our patients live in poverty. One 90-year-old woman living alone was eating cat food. Several started crying when we delivered their bag of fresh produce. Market Days is greatly needed in our community.”
Support for Healthy Aging
The produce provided in Market Days bags is carefully selected to ensure it's easy to use. Besides fresh produce, Market Days bags also include:
- Recipes and tips on how to cook or preserve the produce provided.
- Information sheets on aging-related resources and services available in Larimer County.
A Community-Wide Effort
From volunteers, local farmers, county leaders, and partners, Market Days is truly a community-wide effort.
Some of our community partners who participate in the program include:
- The Larimer County Office on Aging
- Housing Catalyst
- Meals on Wheels Fort Collins
- A Little Help
- Neighbor to Neighbor
- Loveland Housing Authority
- Loveland’s Community Kitchen
- Logo Vista Mobile Home Park
- St. Luke’s Medical Clinic
- Red Feather Lakes Community Library
Support Market Days for Older Adults
"Buy a Bag" for $18
With increasing levels of food insecurity across the state, the number of older adults in need is expected to grow as well.
You can make a difference! For just $18, you can buy a bag of farm-fresh local produce for an older adult in need. Your donation:
- Helps reduce the hard decision between paying bills or buying food
- Supports healthy aging
- Connects local farmers to the greater community
Sponsor Market Days for Older Adults
We offer a variety of sponsorship opportunities for small and large businesses. Your sponsorship supports our work to reduce food insecurity in older adults in Larimer County.
Review our Sponsorship Opportunities
For more information, contact Cheryl Noble at the Larimer County Extension Office: cnoble@larimer.org or 970-498-6000.
Thank you to our 2023 Sponsors:
2023 Premier Sponsor:
Other 2023 Sponsors:
Click here to view a PDF of our 2022 Community Impact Report
About Market Days
Market Days is a program of the Larimer County Office of Colorado State University Extension and the Larimer County Farmers’ Market providing fresh produce from the market to older adults who are 60+ and experiencing food insecurity or hunger.
Market Days began in 2019 and operates from June through October. This year we added a transportation service to bring participants to the market who needed transit. We also created an advisory board for accountability, growth, and sustainability.
2022 by the Numbers
- 225 Individuals Served
- 1,281 Bags Distributed
- $19,250 to Local Growers
- 260 Volunteer Hours
- 6 Student Interns
Community Partners
- Larimer County Office on Aging
- Meals on Wheels Fort Collins
- Lago Vista Mobile Home Park
- St. Luke's Medical Clinic
- Mason Place
- Loveland Housing Authority
- A Little Help
- Housing Catalyst
- Neighbor to Neighbor
- Red Feather Lakes Library
- Loveland's Community Kitchen
Program Survey
In partnership with CSU's Department of Human Development and Family Studies, we surveyed 32 recipients of the Market Days program.
- 25 reported their health improved a lot or a little due to Market Days
- 28 reported they would like to see Market Days run year-round
- 31 said they were very satisfied with Market Days
2022 Sponsors
Premier Sponsor:
Other 2022 Sponsors:
Click here to view a PDF of our 2021 Impact Report
- Total bags distributed between May 22th – Oct. 23rd, 2021: 1,445 (a 25% increase from 2020)
- 65 Volunteers – a total of 363 volunteer hours
- Number of Older Adults Served: 480* (*an additional 46 children benefited through Grand Family Coalition)
- Total Dollars to Local Farmers: $18,785
- 11 Community Partners:
- Larimer County Office on Aging
- Grand Family Coalition
- Meals on Wheels FC
- Lago Vista Mobile Home Park
- A Little Help
- Housing Catalyst
- Neighbor to Neighbor
- Red Feather Lakes Library
- Mason Place
- FC Neighborhood Services
- St. Luke’s Medical Clinic
Click here to view a PDF of our 2020 Impact Report
- Number of individuals served: 269
- Participants received an average of 4.3 bags during the market season
- Total bags distributed: 1,161
- Total Volunteers: 73
- Total Volunteer Hours: 413
- Total dollars spend: $25,390
- Community Partners that participated:
- Housing Catalyst
- The Northern
- Lagovista Mobile Home Park
- Grand Family Coalition
- Crossroads Church
- Larimer County Office on Aging
- A Little Help
- Partnership for Age Friendly Communities
- Meals on Wheels of Fort Collins
- Neighbor to Neighbor
- Arikara Farm Project
- Generous Sponsors:
- Larimer County
- Bath Garden Center & Nursery
- Associates in Family Medicine
- Next 50 Initiative
- In 2020, with support from a COVID relief grant from the NextFifty Initiative and funding from the Larimer County Office on Aging, the program generated an additional $25,000 in revenue for participating farmers.
- In addition to produce from market farmers, some produce is donated by community partners. In 2020, Market Days received a donation from the Colorado Dry Bean Committee to provide Colorado-grown beans for participants.
Colorado State University Extension is an equal opportunity provider. Colorado State University does not discriminate on the basis of disability and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations. CSU’s Office of Engagement and Extension ensures meaningful access and equal opportunities to participate to individuals whose first language is not English. Colorado State University Extension es un proveedor que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.
Colorado State University no discrimina por motivos de discapacidad y se compromete a proporcionar adaptaciones razonables. Office of Engagement and Extension de CSU garantiza acceso significativo e igualdad de oportunidades para participar a las personas quienes su primer idioma no es el inglés.
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Larimer County Farmers' Market
