MORGANTOWN -- Most of Preston County farmer Kathy Evans' customers at the Morgantown Farmers' Market can afford her certified organic produce.

But for those who can't, there is the state Farmers' Market Nutrition Program.

"I basically participate to be able to give those recipients of the coupons a chance to be able to buy organic produce," said Evans.

The FMNP provides vouchers for two broad populations: low-income women who are pregnant or new moms and their children up to the age of 5, through the Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, program; and low-income seniors.

WIC and senior FMNP participants usually receive the vouchers at a local WIC site or senior center, in the amount of $10 or $20 for each participant, according to Denise Eagan of the state Department of Health and Human Resources. DHHR coordinates the WIC program, while the state Department of Agriculture coordinates the seniors' program.

Participants have from July 1, when the summer harvest really gets going, through about Oct. 31 to use the vouchers, Eagan said.

As for the farmers, program coordinators work with the West Virginia University Extension Service to provide training to those who are interested.

"Farmers have to know that they can only exchange for the vouchers the things that are on the list," said Eagan -- for example, fresh produce but not dried fruits or vegetables; herbs but not baked goods or jams.

They can sell at a farmers' market, at a freestanding farm stand or through a farmers' cooperative, and they deposit the vouchers in their bank accounts just like checks.

It's a win-win arrangement, Eagan said: The farmers get a larger market for their goods, and the voucher recipients get access to fresh, nutritious foods.

There is further benefit still for some WIC participants, namely educating younger adults and children about fruits and vegetables.

"Seniors have an advantage in that they already value their fresh fruits and vegetables so much," Eagan said -- a lifestyle and appreciation developed in a less busy time.

But many younger people had two working parents and fended for themselves out of the microwave, she said. They never learned to cook, a fact Egan discovered first-hand while teaching in Marshall University's Department of Dietetics.

"Rhubarb, squashes, zucchini, artichokes, parsnips," she ticked off, listing produce that is not familiar to many younger people.

A year-end survey of FMNP participants brings many positive responses to statements like, "I bought a fresh fruit or vegetable I never tried before," Eagan said.

She noted a community-building aspect as well.

"It's not unusual to hear our seniors share with younger WIC participants what a vegetable is, how you can cook it, recipes," she said. "And children being able to be a part of that market experience is so valuable."

Evans, who estimates the FMNP makes up about 5 percent of her sales, has had the very experiences Eagan describes.

"There were so many delightful young couples coming in with small children that were just fascinated because our farm grows things that you don't normally see in the produce section," she said. "And they come back and say, 'That was great! We're so glad we got it from you because it's something we normally would not have tried and we're going to eat it more often now.'"

She would like to see more vouchers made available for people in need.

According to state and federal data, West Virginia provided benefits to almost 32,000 seniors in 2008 in exchanges of about $20 with 425 West Virginia farmers. The WIC program helped 5,670 participants make purchases of $10 to $20 each from 387 farmers.

The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.