Free Farmers Market Coupons for NYC Seniors: How to Get a $25 Booklet From NYC Aging This Summer — Eligibility, Distribution Sites, and What You Can Buy

NYC Aging’s Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program gives eligible older adults a $25 coupon booklet to spend on fresh local produce at participating markets. Here’s how to apply, who qualifies, and where the distribution sites are across the five boroughs.

Every summer, the NYC Department for the Aging (NYC Aging) distributes free $25 coupon booklets to eligible older adults to spend on fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and cut herbs at participating farmers’ markets, farm stands, and mobile markets across the five boroughs. The program is called the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), and the booklets typically begin distribution in early summer.

Mid-May is the right time for seniors and family caregivers to confirm eligibility, identify a nearby distribution site, and call ahead — because every year, demand outpaces supply and booklets are gone within weeks at busy locations.

Who This Helps: New Yorkers age 60 and older who meet the income limits below, family caregivers and home attendants assisting eligible seniors, and proxies or power-of-attorney holders for homebound older adults.

What the Booklet Actually Contains

Per NYC Aging’s official program page, each coupon booklet is worth $25 and contains five $5 coupons. Important practical note: farmers are not permitted to give change for purchases less than $5, so plan to spend the full $5 in each transaction or combine items to reach the value.

Booklets are distributed first-come, first-served. There is no online application. There is no mail delivery. You — or someone acting on your behalf with proxy or power of attorney — must pick up the booklet in person at a participating distribution site.

Eligibility — The Two Requirements

To receive a booklet, you must meet both:

Age: 60 years of age or older.
Income: Monthly income at or below the published threshold:
- $2,413/month for a one-person household
- $3,261/month for a two-person household
- $4,109/month for a three-person household

If you live in a multi-person household where multiple people are 60+, each eligible person can apply for their own booklet, provided the total household income is below the applicable cap.

What You Can Buy — and What You Cannot

Eligible for purchase: Locally grown fresh fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, pumpkins, and cut herbs.

Not eligible — coupons will be refused: Plants, citrus fruit, tropical fruit, apple cider, jams and jellies, honey, baked goods, maple syrup, flowers, gourds, ornamental eggs, and any processed food. Coupons cannot be used to purchase food online.

If you accidentally try to use coupons for an ineligible item, the farmer is required to refuse the transaction. Save yourself the trip back through the line — read the list before you go.

Where to Pick Up Coupons — By Borough

NYC Aging publishes the official list of distribution sites for each borough. Always call ahead to confirm booklets are still in stock before you travel:

If you cannot reach a site by phone, call Aging Connect at 212-AGING-NYC (212-244-6469). Aging Connect can confirm which older adult centers, NORC programs, and community-based organizations near you are currently distributing booklets, and they will also confirm eligibility for the 2026 program cycle.

If You’re Homebound — Use a Proxy

If you cannot travel to a market or distribution site, anyone with power of attorney or designated proxy authority can pick up and use the coupons on your behalf. The eligible older adult must fill out and sign the Statement of Eligibility and the Proxy form, which the proxy then brings to a participating older adult center to apply. Ask the distribution site for the current forms when you call.

Where to Spend the Coupons

The coupons are honored at participating farmers’ markets, farm stands, and mobile markets across the city. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets maintains an annual authorized markets list for the five boroughs (PDF). Not every farmers’ market in NYC is part of FMNP, so check the list before you go.

Cooking What You Buy

NYC Aging partners with Cornell Cooperative Extension on nutrition education and cooking classes built around FMNP-eligible produce. Recipes and how-to videos are at Cooking with NYC Aging and the Cornell Cooperative Extension FMNP page.

Important Things to Know

Coupons have an expiration date. They cannot be saved or rolled over to the next year. Use them during the program season.
Lost or stolen coupons cannot be replaced. Report any loss to Aging Connect at 212-AGING-NYC.
You cannot apply online. The application happens in person at a distribution site.
NYC Aging does not mail coupons. Anyone offering to mail FMNP coupons to you is not a legitimate source. Distribution happens only through approved older adult centers and community-based organizations.

How to Take Action

Confirm your eligibility. Check that you are 60 or older and your monthly income is within the limits listed above.
Call Aging Connect. Dial 212-244-6469 (212-AGING-NYC) and ask which distribution sites near you have the 2026 program active and where booklets are currently available.
Or use the Service Finder. Visit NYC Aging’s Service Finder to look up older adult centers near your address.
Download your borough’s distribution list (PDFs above) and pick two or three nearby sites — booklets run out, so have backups.
Call the site before you travel to confirm booklets are still in stock and to ask about the documents they need to see (typically ID and proof of address).
Go in person to apply and pick up. A proxy with the right forms can go on your behalf if you are homebound.
Find a participating market. Check the State Agriculture and Markets list and pick a market on your weekly route.
Use the full $5 per coupon in each transaction — no change is given for purchases under $5.

One Phone Number That Connects Everything

If you only remember one number from this article: 212-244-6469. That is Aging Connect, the NYC Aging hotline that can tell you about FMNP booklets, older adult centers, EnhanceFitness classes, free legal help, Citymeals on Wheels, HIICAP Medicare counseling, NORC programs, transportation, case management, and every other senior program in the city.

For more NYC senior resources, see our coverage of Citymeals on Wheels and 300+ NYC senior centers, SCHE property tax relief for senior homeowners, the senior transit guide, and free Medicare counseling through HIICAP.

This article provides general information about a public benefit program; it is not legal, medical, or financial advice. Program rules, income limits, and distribution dates can change each year — confirm current 2026 details directly with NYC Aging at 212-244-6469 before you travel to a distribution site.