Growing Wealth & Wellness in West Virginia with WV-grown Food
www.communitymarketsinc.org
September 2025 News: 3 Years of Impact!
Three Years of Impact. September 9th’s Food Box Giveaway will mark three years of programming for Community Markets Inc.! That first Food Box Giveaway in September 2022 at St. James in Charles Town was funded in part by mini grant from Try This West Virginia for $1,155, featured a lot of donated canned and boxed food from local grocery stores, and fed 150 families. September 9th’s Giveaway will feed 350 families in two counties, pay local farmers at least $12,000, and partner with not only St. James, but Volunteer West Virginia, United Way of the Eastern Panhandle, and others! This growth isn’t possible without YOU!
Magnolia Market serving rural communities in a food desert in Morgan County. Deliveries being piloted at our upcoming Food Box Giveaway. A $73,000 donation from the Jefferson County Tuberculosis Foundation. Another year of Senior Vouchers kicking off at the St. Isidore Market. SNAP Stretch piloting soon at all mobile markets. Local author Bob O’Connor being featured in our latest Meet Your Market video. None of this happens in a vacuum. All of this happens when a community rallies together to feed food insecure families and support local farmers.
That’s what we’ve done for over four years now at Community Markets Inc. That’s what we’re doing now. That’s what we’ll do for another three, five, ten, twenty-five years here and around all West Virginia. But not without you and your support!!
Thank You to everyone who has supported CMI thus far in large and small ways: The CMI Board, Team (past & present), funders, donors, monthly donors, partners, volunteers, friends, and supporters! You know who you are.
Community Markets Inc.: Growing wealthy and wellness in West Virginia with WV-grown food. Together.
Donate. Shop. Share. Volunteer.
With gratitude and hope,
Mark Peiffer, RPO
Operations Manager
Mobile: 703-789-1879
mark.peiffer@communitymarketsinc.org
At a Glance
In almost three years, Community Markets Inc. has fed 14,700 people in 11 WV counties with 171,200 lbs. of healthy & locally-sourced food and put over $451,500 back into farmers‘ and small family business owners’ pockets.
In August alone, CMI fed over 700 people with 9,200 lbs. of fresh & healthy locally-sourced food and put over $31,500 back into local farmers’ and food entrepreneurs’ pockets! This could not have happened without our many partners, donors, and volunteers!
– NEW Mobile Market! CMI began Magnolia Market in August, which serves the residents in Paw Paw and Morgan County, WV.Thank you to everyone who volunteered or came out to shop! Now through October 17th, CMI will bring local & affordable groceries from local farms to families living in this food desert.
Our next Market is this Friday, September 5th, from 4:30-6:00 pm, so come see us! For the latest news and next week’s pre order form, be sure to like and follow Magnolia Market on Facebook.
Magnolia Market in the News
– The Journal, Martinsburg wrote an article about Magnolia Market HERE as did Real WV HERE. We appreciate the coverage!
– Large Donation. CMI is VERY grateful to the Jefferson County Tuberculosis Foundation for a donation of over $73,000! The Foundation’s board is committed for promoting health and wellness in Jefferson County for future generations through healthy food grown in Jefferson County and West Virginia!
Upcoming Events
– Community Markets Inc. is partnering with Volunteer West Virginia & United Way of the Eastern Panhandle among others for a Food Box Giveaway on September 9th, 2025!
To celebrate 3 years of the Food Box Giveaway Program, we are providing deliveries to the first 250 families to sign up within Jefferson County and some zip codes in Berkeley County. The cutoff date to sign up for a delivery is tomorrow, September 4th! For details and to sign up go HERE.
Volunteer and celebrate 3 years of impact: We need volunteers, including delivery drivers!
Future Food Box Giveaways include October 4th in Shepherdstown and October 28th in Inwood.
– Panera Fundraiser for CMI! Support CMI on September 24th from 8 am – 8 pm, when you eat at Panera Bread, Ranson! Simply show the flyer below (a screenshot is sufficient!) and Panera will donate 20% of the cost of your order to Community Markets Inc.! RSVP and learn more HERE.
– The St. Isidore Market has a new website! Now pre ordering from Friday to Tuesday is even easier with pick up every Thursday from 5:00-6:30 pm at St. James the Greater Catholic Church in Charles Town. We’re grateful to LovelyPixels based in Martinsburg for making this happen!
See the new St. Isidore Market website HERE!
Senior Vouchers begin this month and SNAP Stretch will begin soon at St. Isidore Market!
– New Video! CMI sat down recently with local author Bob O’Connor to discuss his love of local history and his connection to St. Isidore Market among other things.
Watch It Now!
Ready to increase health and wellness for every West Virginian with West Virginian Grown Food?
Become a Monthly Donor today!
Donate
Like Community Markets Inc., St. Isidore Market, & Magnolia Market on Facebook
Feed Hungry Families. Support our Farmers. Increase Local Food Access.