Federal Way Council approves extra funding for farmers market senior food vouchers

Federal Way City Council approved additional funding Wednesday to expand the Federal Way Farmers Market senior food voucher program after market volunteers and staff said vouchers were exhausting early each market day.

City staff and volunteers described a weekly demand that exceeds the market’s existing supply of small-value vouchers for older adults. The council voted unanimously to provide $2,224 from the Senior Advisory Commission’s restricted reserve and $2,000 from the mayor’s discretionary budget for a total of $4,224 in additional support.

The program distributes small vouchers that seniors use with market vendors for fresh produce and other food. Amy Glendon, executive assistant to the council, told the council the Senior Advisory Commission had accumulated a restricted balance and proposed allocating funds to expand voucher availability. “This is a small amount of money, but to seniors with food insecurity, it’s a huge improvement to their circumstances,” Glendon said during her presentation.

Volunteer coordinator Vicky Chenoweth told the council the program’s vouchers move quickly: vendors and volunteers routinely run out shortly after the market opens. She described several partners that contribute vouchers and matching programs and requested additional help so seniors would not be turned away. Market manager Bill Badino confirmed other sponsors have provided support and described how those amounts were being used to stretch vouchers across the season.

Council members discussed tradeoffs between issuing a larger value per voucher and serving more people. Several members said the priority was to help as many seniors as possible; others asked staff to do quick calculations on different dollar amounts and the number of additional people served. Glendon and market staff presented a plan to expand distribution; the council then approved the $4,224 package described above.

Discussion versus decision: Council discussion included whether to raise each voucher’s value, how many additional seniors would be served, and how long the additional funding should last. The formal decision approved a one-time supplemental allocation ($2,224 restricted; $2,000 mayoral) to immediately increase the market’s voucher capacity.

What was approved: The council passed a motion authorizing $2,224 from the Senior Advisory Commission restricted reserve and $2,000 from the mayor’s discretionary funds to supplement the farmers market senior voucher program. The motion passed unanimously.

Next steps: Staff and market volunteers will implement the additional vouchers at upcoming market dates and will follow up with the council and the Senior Advisory Commission about program uptake and any further funding needs.

Quotation examples from the meeting • Amy Glendon (Executive assistant): “This is a small amount of money, but to seniors with food insecurity, it’s a huge improvement to their circumstances.” • Vicky Chenoweth (Farmers market volunteer): described seniors lining up early and asked the council to consider expanding vouchers so “they can buy fresh produce.”

Context: The Federal Way Farmers Market has a mix of sponsor support and city involvement; volunteers and partner organizations have provided supplemental vouchers and matching funds. City staff and volunteers said current demand often exhausts the available vouchers by mid-morning at the market, leaving some seniors unable to participate.