KINGSTON – On Saturday, July 31, senior citizens will have the opportunity to enjoy a special Senior Day at the Kingston Farmers’ Market, located on Wall Street between North Front and John Streets, and running from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Ulster County Office for the Aging will have a table at the market, where they will be distributing information and brochures to interested guests. “We’ll be there with a table with aging information, and New York Connects Choices for Long Term Care information, and then the Healthy Ulster Senior Program will be there with the nurse, and she’ll be providing a limited health screening,” says Mary Jo DeForest, Deputy Director of the Ulster County Office for the Aging. The nurse will be offering limited health screenings, like blood pressure and glucose-level testing.
In addition to the information and screenings available at the table, Kingston Farmers’ Market Joe Fitzgerald tells of other good reasons to drop by on Saturday. “Some seniors are eligible for food stamps, so we always have access, they can use their benefits at the market,” says Fitzgerald. “And all through the market we have 12 visits from a nutritionist that teaches us to be healthier without compromising our lifestyles as far as our food choices go.
“The nutritionist will be on hand to make us better buyers, better purchasers, and maybe a little bit more savvy on how to stretch our food dollars while remaining healthy,” he elaborates. “Very often now, you might find that a lot of seniors, and people who are at food-risk, they’ll go with a fast food type of meal, something that’s high in calories, high in sugar, high in salt content, and may not be the healthiest thing in the long run for us.”
Fitzgerald also adds that they will be giving out Farmers’ Market tote bags to the first 70 seniors to attend. He also points out that the senior-specific attractions aren’t the only good reason to visit the Farmers’ Market each Saturday.
“It’s a fun day,” he says. “You’ll find that a lot of people come to the market to meet people. It’s more of a complete experience, like a town-square type of thing, than perhaps to going to a supermarket, where we’re more solitary in our activities. We go shopping, we get on line, and then we leave. Here, people sort of linger, get to know the actual producers of the vegetables and farm products that you see there. That interaction with the producers and also with different people of different ages at the markets themselves — sometimes people are organizing their social lives by meeting people at the market.”
Admission is free as is parking. www.kingstonfarmersmarket.org or call (845)853-8512.
