Ort Farms Delivers Long Valley Produce To County Seniors

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Ort Farms, a 400-acre farm that’s been in Long Valley for six generations, provided bags of produce freshly-picked from their farm on Wednesday through a "cooperative arrangement," to the County of Morris, to distribute among Morris County’s low-income, senior citizen population.

The farm and Morris County Nutrition Program have teamed up this summer for a farm-to-table pilot program, that takes Ort’s farm-fresh goods plucked from its fields, which the county drops the bags off to six senior citizen housing units countywide, within 24 hours.

Christine Hellyer, Morris County Division on Aging, Disabilities and Community Programming’s director, estimates seniors throughout the county will receive up to 200 bags in total, through the program.

Morris County’s Division on Aging also administers the federally-funded Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, which gives coupons to income-eligible senior citizens to buy farm goods like vegetables, herbs, honey and other items from farm stands and farmers’ markets. The voucher program gives a limited number of seniors up to $20 to spend yearly at Morris County farms, from June 1 to Sept. 30.

Qualified seniors may also take part in the Morris County Nutrition Program, which has congregate meal sites or meals delivered to the seniors at their homes, even on weekends. In 2020, there were more than 388,358 meals served up for seniors in Morris County.

Click here for more information about the county’s senior nutrition program.

Clarification: Spokesperson from the County of Morris, Brian Murray said produce through Ort Farms was purchased with vouchers through the county's vouchers for its nutrition program.

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