Lewes farmers market receives funds to feed more families this year

To bring more fresh food to those in need in Sussex County, and to expand its successful Farm to Community program into Kent County, the nonprofit Historic Lewes Farmers Market has been awarded an additional $300,000. In 2023, the market was selected to help execute Delaware’s pilot project for the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, called Farm to Community, through Aug. 1, 2024. With this increase in funding from the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, the Farm to Community Program has been extended for an additional year, now running through Aug. 1, 2025.

The market designed a system to procure, aggregate and distribute produce, meat, eggs and dairy products directly from small family farms to 13 food pantries across Sussex County. Between April and November last year, the market scheduled weekly farmer deliveries to three pantry routes across the county, getting fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy and eggs to more than 3,000 people a week. In 2023, the program purchased over $210,000 worth of fresh food, helping support small local farmers in the community. Josh Nash of Nash Veggies in Lincoln said, “Our farming business absolutely benefited from the pilot program, as did our hearts. As small farmers, having a guaranteed customer base (rain or shine) is reassuring in a world of increasing uncertainty.”

The Farm to Community Program also benefits the community by providing fresh, healthy food to families in need that often do not have adequate access or opportunity to these items. Greta Browning from Shepherd’s Office in Georgetown said, “Our pantry was blessed by this program, because we received so many provisions (meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables) that we otherwise never would have gotten and could not have afforded to purchase. But the real winners here are our guests who come seeking food and resources. They were so happy to see all of the farm-fresh food.”

With the additional funding, the market will be purchasing fresh food from even more local small farms to be directly distributed to 18 Sussex and Kent county food pantries, feeding approximately 4,000 individuals a week.

For more information, email info@historiclewesfarmersmarket.org or call 302-644-1436.