LEWES, Del. - The Historic Lewes Farmers Market has received a $10,000 grant from the Carl M. Freeman Foundation’s Freeman Assists Communities with Extra Support program, that will go towards providing fresh food to families in need and supporting local farmers.
The money will go towards the market’s Food Pantry Purchase Program, which pays small farmers in advance for fresh produce, meat and eggs that are delivered directly to food pantries every Saturday. This model helps both food-insecure families and local farms by ensuring a steady, prepaid outlet for goods.
Since launching the program in 2021, the market says it has delivered more than $65,875 worth of food to the Epworth United Methodist Church Pantry through a combination of direct purchases, customer contributions and farmer donations.
The Carl M. Freeman Foundation established the FACES grant program in 2000 to fund smaller, community-based nonprofit efforts in Sussex County and Montgomery County.
In addition to its food pantry work, the Historic Lewes Farmers Market operates producer-only markets where customers buy directly from the farmers. It also runs programs including SNAP matching, gleaning unsold produce for food pantries, and awarding scholarships to small-scale farmers.