LEWES, Del. - A new endowment fund established at the Greater Lewes Foundation by the Punkin’ Chunkin’ executive committee awarded its first grants May 16 at the foundation’s annual meeting.
The fund supports local nonprofit open space preservation and public uses.
The 2026 grants went to the Lewes-Rehoboth Rotary Club for its Can-Do Playground project and to Delaware Wildlands to support a new tram system for visitors to the Great Cypress Swamp. Each grant was for $10,000.
The Can-Do Playground project is planned for the new Stephen P. Hudson Park on Route 9 in Milton. The Lewes-Rehoboth Rotary Club, in cooperation with the Sussex County Land Trust, is raising money for the playground.
According to the Greater Lewes Foundation, 17% of students in the Cape Henlopen School District live with disabilities. The foundation says the goal of the playground is to provide special equipment and programs for children to experience outdoor play and recreation.
Pete Booker accepted the donation on behalf of the Rotary Club.
Delaware Wildlands maintains the Great Cypress Swamp, 10,800 acres that make up the state’s largest freshwater wetlands and contiguous forest. The organization is raising money to create a tram service through the ecosystem.
According to the release, groups of 30 visitors would be able to experience the Great Cypress Swamp through the open-air service.
The release said Delaware Wildlands has planted more than 200,000 trees at the Great Cypress Swamp.
Frank Payton, chair of the Punkin’ Chunkin’ executive committee, said the $20,000 distributed this year represents two years of earnings from the endowment managed by the Greater Lewes Foundation.
Payton said he expects to have more than $12,000 to distribute in 2027 for local open space projects.
Nonprofit organizations may submit requests for next year’s awards to the Greater Lewes Foundation from Jan. 1 to April 30, 2027.
Punkin’ Chunkin’ began in Lewes in 1986 as a contest among friends to see who could launch a pumpkin the farthest. The first official event took place in Milton, with a winning distance of 126 feet.
The event later grew from a small gathering to a large annual Sussex County event. According to the release, more than 100,000 people attended the event, which featured large launching devices.
A record distance of 4,700 feet was set in 2013 in Bridgeville.
In the years that followed, safety concerns and insurance costs led to the event’s cancellation. The endowment at the Greater Lewes Foundation was created with remaining funds from the nonprofit Punkin’ Chunkin’ organization.
