The Society of St. Andrew Delmarva celebrates community connections with fresh produce distribution and collaborative service following its large‑scale watermelon giveaway in Salisbury. Families and partner agencies from across the Lower Eastern Shore received 40,000 pounds of fresh, locally grown watermelon. Volunteers — from college students to seniors — from the Salisbury area assisted in the distribution, loading cars and trucks with fresh fruit. This is an effort that reflects the organization’s mission to reduce food waste and fight food insecurity.
Events like this are made possible through strong partnerships with local farmers and community organizations, including The Salvation Army – Lower Eastern Shore, which hosted the Salisbury distribution, helping offload the tractor trailer and distribute the produce. Their support helped ensure that thousands of neighbors had access to healthy, farm‑fresh produce during the peak of summer.
“While the produce is free, we do pay the farmers pack-out costs for bins, pallets, and their labor to load,” said Jean Siers, Regional Director for the Delmarva office. “This load was paid for through a generous grant from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore. We are so grateful for CFES’s support, without which events like this would be much more difficult for us to provide to the community.”
The recent WMDT Brightside feature highlighted the scale and spirit of this work. Program Coordinator Alena Wright emphasized the importance of rescuing good food that would otherwise go to waste: “Fifty‑six bins of watermelon, or about 3,300 watermelons, brought to be distributed in Salisbury for free. That’s so exciting. This is work that we do every day of the week.”
The Society of St. Andrew’s gleaning and distribution efforts extend far beyond watermelon. In the past year, the organization has rescued and shared 2.5 million pounds of food, partnering with 114 feeding agencies across the region—including senior centers, schools, food pantries, churches, and low‑income housing communities. By working directly with local farmers, the organization ensures that produce deemed “too big, too small, or slightly bruised—but still perfectly edible” reaches families who need it most.
Wright noted the dual impact of this work: “Our farmers are growing good food to feed people, and unfortunately, a lot of it just gets left in the fields. So, we take gleaners out to the fields, we rescue it, or we’re able to pay a pack‑out cost to the farmers.”
Two recent watermelon giveaways showcases the power of community collaboration. Volunteers, partner agencies, and families came together in celebration—sharing fresh fruit, connecting with neighbors, and experiencing the joy of giving back. As the organization shared on its Facebook page, “Doesn’t everyone feel better after a fresh slice of watermelon on a hot day?”
The Society of St. Andrew Delmarva remains committed to ensuring that no good food goes to waste and that every neighbor has access to fresh, nutritious produce. These watermelon giveaways are a shining example of what can happen when farmers, volunteers, and community partners unite around a shared purpose.
