Diakon secures additional farmers market vouchers for Schuylkill County seniors

Sep. 28—After a 40-minute drive to the Lykens Dairy Queen, Debbie Herb said she could not have imagined how busy it was at 3:30 p.m. on a Wednesday.

Except Herb wasn't there for a sweet treat. She was collecting an additional — and unexpected — 282 senior farmers market food vouchers on behalf of Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries for distribution to Schuylkill County seniors.

For nearly two months, Diakon administrators were informed by the state that they could not receive supplemental vouchers to satisfy their first-ever waitlist of over 500 seniors. On Sept. 20, that changed.

That morning, Herb, the organization's senior services coordinator, received an email from Chris Feidt of the Dauphin County Agency of Aging that it could provide additional vouchers to assist Schuylkill seniors.

"Why wouldn't we say yes when 200-plus seniors could benefit?" Herb said. "Sure, I wish it could be 1,000, but we'll take what we can get."

Driving almost 30 miles for the green vouchers last week was a "no-question decision" for Herb.

"This is what Diakon is all about," she said. "(Seniors are) our family. You'd do the same thing for your mother or grandmother."

Karen Wood, executive director at Diakon, said her team was "thrilled" to find out they could serve some wait-listed seniors. Still, Wood hopes for a better result next year.

"The hope is next year, when we do the vouchers, that we do have enough to serve the folks of Schuylkill County," she said.

The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program provided $50 in vouchers for 40,225 low-income Pennsylvania seniors this year, up from $24 for each recipient last year. The initial distribution covered about 3,200 people in Schuylkill County.

After acquiring the extra vouchers in Lykens, Herb called eligible seniors in order of the waitlist and scheduled distribution dates at the Pottsville, Mahanoy City, Tremont and Tamaqua offices to ensure the supply is depleted before this Saturday — the final day county agencies can disperse vouchers.

Last Friday, Herb said, she made 140 phone calls alone.

Since then, she's had some emotional conversations, noting one senior was on the verge of crying when realizing she would not only receive vouchers this year, but that the value increased.

Helene Kelly-Emery was one of those to retrieve her vouchers in the first hour of distribution at Diakon's Pottsville office on Monday. She said said she feels opportunistic. It's her first time ever getting vouchers, and she plans to visit different participating farmers markets to find which ones she likes best.

"It'll give me a chance to get out and move around, too," she said. "... I'm just gonna have to go through the list and see where I can take advantage of these."

After initially being told she was placed on a waiting list, Kelly-Emery said she "just wiped off" the possibility of getting vouchers this year.

Now, she hopes to get plenty of locally grown produce, like cucumbers, for the many salads she likes to eat.

While vouchers expire Nov. 30, Kelly-Emery said she isn't worried about spending them in time; she planned to shop with them as soon as she left the center.

"I could easily spend $10 each week on produce," she said. "So, I think I'll be able to take care of this and get them out of the way."

Schuylkill County residents like Kelly-Emery or Herb aren't the only ones happy about the supplemental vouchers.

Bob Burns, director of the Dauphin County Area Agency of Aging, said his organization typically has leftover vouchers each year. Sending those extras to benefit Schuylkill County seniors this year provided a "deep sense of satisfaction" within AAA, according to Burns.

"It is very common for counties to assist each other when we can, and this was an example," Burns said. "... Being able to provide these vouchers to additional seniors, who will benefit from the program, is satisfying as it represents a tangible example of older adults who benefit from caring employees who go out of their way to help their neighbors."