During the annual ExtraGive on Friday, November 22nd, we invite you to show your support for your hometown market by donating to The Central Market Trust.
You can help ensure the Lancaster Central Market will continue to serve our community for generations to come. Your donation helps to fund the daily operations of our historic building, our popular community events like Harvest Breakfast, and supporting our food sharing programs like SNAP and the Kathleen L. Peck After Market Program.
We are thrilled to share some news about our food sharing programs, and why it is so crucial that they receive the necessary funding to continue. In just the month of October, 1,346 pounds of food was distributed to nearly 200 Lancaster neighbors through our After Market program. Food that would otherwise likely be wasted is finding its way home and nourishing our neighbors. The program continues to grow in size with an increasing range of donations from standholders, and more eager folks waiting in line every Tuesday and Saturday. We couldn’t be happier about it! But as the program grows, so too do our costs.
That includes our SNAP program, which is now offered Market-wide! Shoppers who visit the Market Info Stand can purchase Market SNAP Vouchers with their benefits, to be used throughout market (visit the Info Stand to learn more). Since offering SNAP Market-wide, there has been a 1,034% increase in shoppers using their SNAP benefits at market – wow! Our friends at High Foundation – whose support continues to be instrumental at Central Market – have generously given to the creation of a Double Bucks Rewards Program (a dollar-for-dollar match up to $30 a day) at Market, which has soared in popularity. One Marketgoer told us that the SNAP Double Bucks Program at Market “saved” them over the summer. We are continuously humbled and uplifted by the success of these programs. But we need your help to ensure they continue, and offer this indispensable benefit to your Lancastrian neighbors.
Find out more about how you can support the Lancaster Central Market through ExtraGive here.