Historic Lewes Farmers Market seeks Giving Tuesday support

The Historic Lewes Farmers Market will participate again this year in Giving Tuesday, Dec. 3. A global initiative, Giving Tuesday encourages people to support nonprofits in their communities.

Giving Tuesday offers HLFM the chance to share with the community its mission and the effects it has on local farmland, small farmers and feeding everyone in the community.

HLFM is committed to nurturing a vibrant local food system in Delmarva that is sustainable and socially responsible. The HLFM builds delivery networks that connect local growers to the community through producer-only farmers markets and other food access programs. With a focus on empowering emerging farmers and educating the community on the importance of preserving local farmland, its goal is an equitable distribution system that increases fresh and healthy food access, reduces food waste and benefits the entire community.

The HLFM empowers emerging farmers through its farmer scholarship program. As the only farmers market in Sussex County to accept SNAP/EBT benefits, HLFM helps bring fresh, healthy foods to all through its SNAP match program. The market reduces food waste through its gleaning program and supports farmers while increasing local food access through its food pantry purchase program. In the last four years, HLFM has provided over $96,000 worth of farm-fresh food from family farmers to local food pantries through Saturday markets.

In 2023, HLFM was selected to help execute Delaware’s pilot project for the USDA AMS Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, called Farm to Community. With an expansion in 2024, the program coordinates deliveries from 19 farms to 18 pantries across Sussex and Kent counties, helping feed more than 4,000 individuals every week. HLFM is able to pay local farmers for their healthy food to be delivered to the food pantries, ensuring that the support is going to small family farms while feeding the community. This program has been incredibly beneficial to farmers and families in Delaware, but its funding ends in July 2025.

HLFM relies on generous donations from this community to support the vision to build a vibrant, sustainable local food system providing healthy fresh food for all in Delmarva.

Learn more at HistoricLewesFarmersMarket.org.