DEAR SUN SPOTS: Are you interested in volunteering with the Lewiston Farmers’ Market? We always need set up and break down help as well as support for market events including our annual Spaghetti Squash Dinner! For more information please contact [email protected]. — No name, Lewiston

ANSWER: A year-round, family friendly farmers’ market right in the heart of the Twin Cities, the Lewiston Farmers’ Market offers visitors a chance to connect with one another and shop for a wide variety of fresh, delicious, local foods and goods while fostering a vibrant downtown and building a strong community and local economy.

A variety of vendors sell Maine grown and produced goods including fresh, organic, and chemical-free fruits and vegetables, quality and grass fed meats, cow and goat dairy products, baked goods, assorted mushrooms, handcrafted soaps and body products, fresh cut flowers, arts, crafts and more.

​The Lewiston Farmers’ Market is operated by the Lewiston Farmers’ Market Association (LFMA), an incorporated state nonprofit, and governed by the LFMA Board of Directors.

Sign up for the  eNewsletter or visit their Facebook page. You may also want to know that customers at the Lewiston Farmers’ Market who use SNAP/EBT receive bonus fruits and vegetables at no extra cost thanks to the Maine Harvest Bucks program. The Harvest Bucks match will be 100% of what is spent.

For every dollar of SNAP/EBT benefits a customer spends, they receive $1 back in Harvest Bucks.

Harvest Bucks are special coupons that can be spent like cash at LFMA vendors. Harvest Bucks can only be used for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables and food bearing seedlings such as tomato plants.

Harvest Bucks are valid for the whole season. They can be spent at any time at the market once they’re given out to customers. The program is offered year-round at the summer and winter markets.​

The Maine Harvest Bucks program varies across farmers’ markets, farm stands, CSA’s and retail outlets across the state. Make sure to check in with a market manager, farmer, or retail manager to understand the unique rules. For a complete list of participating market places visit http://www.maineharvestbucks.org/.

We also have a program called Maine Senior FarmShare. This program provides eligible low-income adults with the opportunity to receive a share (worth $50) of first-quality, fresh, local produce at no cost directly from local Maine farmers during the growing season.

Are you curious about qualifying? You must be a Maine resident, 60 years old or older, if you are a Native American, 55 years old or older, or if you are disabled, 18 or older and living in congregate housing with meal service and meet the 2025-2026 income guidelines.

Check out the official web page at https://www.maine.gov/dacf/ard/food-assistance/farmshare/olderadults.shtml.

If you’re interested in signing up for this program, come to the market information booth to fill out a form, then you will be all set. Vouchers can be spent throughout the season and expire at the end of November.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name. We won’t use it if you ask us not to. Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to [email protected].