O'Connor Hospital Kicks Off Second Year of Partnership with Delaware County Office for the Aging to Bring Fresh Produce to Seniors

O’Connor Hospital is continuing to invest in the nutrition, health, and wellness of community members by partnering for the second summer in a program that provides boxes of farm-fresh food to seniors across Delaware County.

O’Connor Hospital has so far provided over $28,000 in funding to this important community initiative, which is overseen by the Delaware County Office for the Aging and New York Connects, in cooperation with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) New York and Schoharie Valley Farms.

Produce grown, harvested and cleaned, and assembled in boxes at Schoharie Valley Farms is delivered to distribution sites, where the food is then delivered to seniors by Delaware Opportunities Dining Centers or home delivery. Seniors who participate are sharing how thankful they are for the service.

“The food is great, especially the strawberries. I enjoy anything that’s grown in the garden,” shared Cheryl Bryand of Delaware County.

“My deliveries have been on time and easy. I’m appreciative! This is my first year participating and I’m going to continue,” said Ellen Adams of East Branch.

“The people involved are very kind and helpful. Not only is the food nice, but receiving it from local farmers makes you feel part of the community,” said Kip Shaw of Delhi. “This service makes summertime in Delaware County even sweeter!”

This year’s distributions began on June 5 and are expected to continue bi-weekly into the autumn months. Last year, the pilot year for program was a resounding success with over 2,300 boxes of produce distributed to approximately 200 individuals across Delaware County.

Susan Hammerslag, Coordinator of SNAP-Ed Services at Delaware County Office for the Aging (left) and Mary Ball, Schoharie Valley Farms (right) stand with boxes of produce at a Delaware County distribution site.