Feast Down East brings back senior food voucher program
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Feast Down East is bringing back its Senior Mobile Market Voucher Program, providing weekly food vouchers to older adults in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties.
The program is returning with support from the Duke Energy Foundation and the Catherine Kennedy Home Foundation.
The voucher program previously operated in 2023 and 2024 before being paused because of a lack of funding. Feast Down East said the renewed funding will allow the organization to resume providing seniors with purchasing assistance for fresh, locally grown food.
Seniors make up about 35% of Feast Down East’s Mobile Market customers, according to the organization. Many live on fixed incomes or face transportation and food affordability challenges.
About 11% of senior customers use SNAP/EBT benefits, Feast Down East said, while others earn too much to qualify for assistance but still have difficulty affording food.
Participants can use the vouchers to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers through Feast Down East’s Mobile Farmers’ Market.
The market brings fresh food to locations where seniors already gather, including the New Hanover County Senior Center and satellite locations in Carolina Beach and Castle Hayne.
Markets also operate at senior centers in Calabash, Supply and Shallotte in Brunswick County, as well as at several low-income senior housing communities.
Any senior attending a Mobile Market is eligible to participate in the voucher program, according to Feast Down East.
The organization said the weekly markets also provide opportunities for social interaction and allow participants to choose the foods they want to purchase.
“Many of the seniors living in our community struggle to access healthy foods at affordable prices,” said Susannah Spratt of Feast Down East. “With this support, we will be able to further support our senior communities through our Senior Mobile Market Voucher Program, which will reduce the cost burden that many seniors face when food shopping.”
Feast Down East tracks participation and voucher redemption through its market platform to measure the program’s use and outcomes.
The organization is based in Burgaw and operates a regional food hub, mobile farmers’ market and programs aimed at supporting local farmers and increasing access to fresh food.
