Visitors to Old Town Fort Collins on Saturdays May through October have the opportunity to take in a fixture of the city since 1975, the Larimer County Farmers’ Market. Most visitors don’t realize that the market includes a unique community outreach program: Market Days for Older Adults. Through a partnership with the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University, several students in HDFS 201 – Perspectives in Gerontology, volunteered their Saturdays this fall to help out at the Market Days program.
Since 2019, Market Days has been an inclusive program that supports food-insecure older adults in the Fort Collins/Larimer County community. The program has two main goals: providing fresh produce to improve access to healthy food and addressing participants’ relationship with social isolation. This semester, students volunteered as “buddy shoppers” to help spark intergenerational connections with participants.
As students arrived at 8 a.m. one Saturday morning, they were greeted by other volunteers and colorful produce. Participating in a service-learning project, like Market Days, is required for the class. In addition to walking around the market with Market Days participants, student volunteers assisted with a variety of tasks, including packing the food bags and crafting encouragement cards for program participants.
A TA for the class (and former student in the class), Elise Meara, shared her favorite part of working with Market Days.
“My favorite part of Market Days was seeing the generational differences and similarities between the student volunteers and the adult volunteers helping,” Meara said. “Seeing the connections and relationships being made between people starts taking down walls and differences between generations.”
HDFS 201 Instructor Allyson Brothers shared how the students’ participation with Market Days tied into their course learning objectives.
“There are three learning objectives of HDFS 201 that tie into Market Days,” Brothers said. “These include: engage in service-learning with older adults in the community, recognize the interdisciplinary nature of gerontology, and identify career and internship opportunities in the field of gerontology.”
These objectives have helped students, like Meara, take what they learned in class to advance the Market Days program.
“Through the class Perspectives in Gerontology, I have been able to improve the way I work with and communicate with older adults,” Meara said. “There is a stigma around older adults and they are looked down upon as less helpful citizens in the United States. From our class, I was able to gain a much stronger understanding of all the amazing things this population has to offer.”
Program structure
Market Days began before the COVID-19 pandemic. The original model of the program gave older adults physical vouchers to spend on fresh produce at the market; this allowed them to pick out exactly what they wanted. Since the pandemic began, the program has shifted to buying the produce in bulk at the market and packing bags every Saturday. This year, the program participants had the option to either have their pre-packaged bags delivered right to them or pick their produce out at the market. In addition to fresh produce, the bags also included recipes and tips on how to cook or preserve the produce provided and information sheets on aging-related resources and services available in Larimer County. The program plans to go back to its original format next year. Brothers explained that their partnership will look a little different, but still have meaningful ways for students to get involved. One of these ways includes a plan from Brothers and Market Days to further develop the student and older adult companionship shopper model when the program resumes next year.
“This fall, the HDFS class implemented a student companion shopper model at market days,” Brothers said. “Students helped older adults when shopping through assistance such as standing in line, holding their bags, and helping pick out which produce to buy.”
Brothers noted that not all older adults who participate in Market Days utilize the student companion shopper model, but those who do love it!
“The hope is that a student is matched up with an older adult and shops with them, three times consecutively for example, to build a relationship,” Brothers said.
Community impact
The Market Days program creates a positive impact on three different groups, the program participants, local farmers, and the students.
According to the 2022 impact report, Market Days served 225 individuals, distributed 1,281 bags, and purchased $19,250 of produce from local growers. The program also amassed 260 volunteer hours and had six student interns. Brothers hopes to continue this partnership long into the future with future class sessions.
“We recently submitted a research paper about the program that is currently under review,” Brothers said. “We also want to write grants to increase funding and opportunities for students to continue this fantastic partnership.”
Over 200 older adults participate in the program each year, with many citing that the produce provided by the program is the food they would like to eat but cannot afford at the grocery store.
“Every dollar matters a lot to this group,” Brothers said. “Market Days helps them to be able to afford fresh food. This program makes them feel seen and not forgotten. It makes them remember that somebody cares.”
The produce used in the Market Days program is bought from farmers at the Larimer County Farmers’ Market. By buying fresh vegetables, the program is also supporting local producers and the Northern Colorado farming community.
Lastly, Market Days enhances students’ knowledge by expanding the boundaries of the classroom. Through their participation in the program, students learn about healthy aging and promoting positive aging.
“Through their interactions with older adults,” Brothers adds. “They learn how the older adults navigate difficult times with a smile on their face.”
Meara can speak to the program’s positive impacts.
“This experience has affected me in such a positive way that I decided to minor in gerontology,” Meara said. “It has truly altered my life path. It has helped me find my aspirations and who I want to help in the world.”
The Department of Human Development and Family Studies is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
