LEWES, DE — Cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture budget are affecting state food assistance grants, with the Historic Lewes Farmers Market (HLFM) losing funding for its Farm to Community program.
The program dates back to 2020 when HLFM began providing food purchased from market vendors to a Sussex County food pantry.
"Representatives from one food pantry, Epworth in Rehoboth Beach would come and do a collection every Saturday," Market Executive Director Eleanor Shue said. "That was the extent of how far that reach was going."
The Farm to Community initiative expanded to other Sussex County pantries in 2023.
Thanks to the success of the outreach, Shue said HLFM was encouraged to partner with the Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) to feed more communities in the lower part of the state, including in Kent County.
Shue said the market was awarded more than $700,000 from the DDA. These specific funds came from a portion of the DDA budget appropriated from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"Last year, April through December, we were doing weekly deliveries of all of those products of farm fresh food, to 19 pantries," Shue said.
The market was preparing for the next season of the Farm to Community program when it received notice from the DDA that the funds would no longer be available due to federal budget cuts.
The market must use its remaining funds by the end of its last grant term, July 2025. The HLFM launched a fundraiser on Tuesday, April 1, hoping to raise funds to keep the program running through December as planned.
Bennett Orchards has sold its peaches and blueberries to HLFM visitors since the inaugural market 20 years ago. Sixth-generation farmer Henry Bennett said participating in the Farm to Community program made it financially feasible for his family orchard to bring fresh food to the surrounding community.
"We want to donate as much as possible, but we can't lose money in the process because, as farmers, we operate on such tight margins to begin with," Bennett said. "Everyone deserves access to fresh fruits and vegetables."
Not only does this facilitate Bennett Orchards' partnerships with local pantries, but it also prevents food waste.
"These funds have been critical to ensure that every single peach and blueberry we grow is consumed," Bennett said.
Officials hope the upcoming summer season, which can draw up to 3,000 people each market day during peak periods, will bolster donations to keep the initiative going. Donations can also be made online here.
"Whatever extra money they can add to it makes a huge difference for us," Shue said. "That's maybe another, maybe a week or month that we're able to spend and buy, you know, another bushel of apples in later season or another couple gallons of milk."