(MSC News)--Income eligible seniors are encouraged to apply for healthy eating assistance. 

That's made possible through the Kansas Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program which provides checks to purchase healthy foods at farmers markets. 

Those who qualify receive $30.00 checks, in $5.00 increments, to buy fresh fruits, vegetables, honey, and related items, from authorized farmers at local participating farmers' markets from now through November 1st. 

Applicants must be 60-years of age, or older and have an income level, before taxes, of $21,590 annually, or $1,800 monthly. 

The program is currently available in the local counties of Atchison, Brown, Leavenworth, and Marshall. 

“This is a wonderful way for seniors to purchase healthy foods locally and we encourage those who are eligible to take advantage of this opportunity,” says Karen Wilson, Executive Director, NEKAAA.

Applications for the Kansas Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program will be available for pick-up starting on June 2, 2014, 8:00 a.m. at the Northeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging (NEKAAA), 1803 Oregon St., Hiawatha, KS. Seniors may apply at this site Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Currently, funds are available to serve 125 eligible participants. Applications will be served on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information about the Kansas Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, call NEKAAA at 785-742-7152 or 800-883-2549.

Eligible foods available to purchase with the KSFMNP checks from authorized farmers at participating farmers’ markets are defined as “fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, locally produced honey and herbs for human consumption that are produced in Kansas under normal growing conditions.”

The Kansas Senior Farmer’s Market Program is a project of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program is coordinated by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), which is collaborating with local partners to identify and distribute checks to eligible seniors.