Art of Aging: Farm to City

It's called Farm to City and it's a group with a mission to connect farmers with the surrounding communities by providing families with fresh locally grown food all year round.

Bob Pierson is the Founder of Farm to City. He says his eyes were opened to the benefits of healthy eating on a trip to Italy many years ago.

"I visited a lot of cities there, when I was there and saw the outdoor markets and just got really excited about that. That should happen in the United States," said Pierson.

Farm to City has a "Winter Harvest" buying club. You shop for your groceries online, pay as you go and choose from one of the nearly 20 pickup sites in the city and suburbs.

Pierson says the goal is to help both farmers and their customers.

He adds, "There are so many people in the United States that suffer from diet-related diseases. It starts with obesity, diabetes, heart diseases and hypertension. If you have a lifetime of eating well, you're not going to be plagued by these things."

Farm to City's "Winter Harvest" program has about 60 participating farmers and 500 locally produced items to choose from.

Barbara McKenzie of Queen's Village says, "I love the fact that we're supporting local agriculture and I also get fantastic food."

Pennsylvania has a special program for eligible seniors that subsidizes farmer's market purchases in the spring and summer. You can call the PCA Helpline for details at 215-765-9040.

You can also visit our Art of Aging section for more senior programs.