Growing Wealth & Wellness in West Virginia with WV-grown Food
www.communitymarketsinc.org
September 2026 News: Gratitude for Our Farmers
Dear Friends of Community Markets Inc.,
It’s no mistake that CMI’s first and flagship market, St. Isidore Market, was named for St. Isidore the Farmer, or as he was known in his home country of Medieval Spain: San Ysidro Labrador. The Spanish word labrador comes from the verb labrar (“to till”, “to plow” or, in a broader sense, “to work the land”). The miracles credited to St. Isidore revolve around kindness and sharing the earth’s bounty with the people around him. He worked hard each day and related to others in a deferential and loving way.
This Labor Day, we invite you to join us in remembering and thanking the hands that work tirelessly to put food on our tables – especially our West Virginian farmers and local producers. Remember the restorative and transformative power of sharing West Virginia’s agricultural bounty with family and neighbors. Our farmers’ dedication and perseverance motivates our Team at Community Markets Inc. to do what we do every day,
and we’re grateful you’ve chosen to join us in this work!
Join us this September in a few easy ways:
Shop St. Isidore Market – Now Delivering to ALL Jefferson County! Put in your home address at checkout and select delivery to get started!
Shop Magnolia Market – Fridays 4:30-7:00 pm in Paw Paw, WV.
Shop Local & Affordable at CMI’s mobile markets and join us in thanking our farmers while taking concrete action to alleviate hunger in our Appalachian communities.
Sign Up for Cooper Farms Fall CSA! Want weekly produce delivered to you this Fall through the end of the year? Support Cooper Farms and enjoy WV’s autumn bounty of produce by signing up today for the CMI/Cooper Farms Fall CSA! Use This FORM to learn more and sign up.
Also…
Panera Fundraiser for CMI – Wednesday Sept 23 order from Panera Bread in Ranson and mention CMI with code FUND4U and 20% of your order will be donated to CMI!
With Gratitude,
Mark Peiffer
Operations Manager
Impact at a Glance
August Highlights
St. Isidore Market Now Delivers to all of Jefferson County!
Local food is now just a doorstep away for families across Jefferson County, as CMI’s online marketplace adds countywide home delivery
We have expanded home delivery for St. Isidore Market to reach families across all of Jefferson County. The new delivery option builds on a market that has, until now, relied on limited pickup options at the weekly market hosted by St. James the Greater Roman Catholic Church in Charles Town, or at our drop point at Priest Field in Middleway.
With this new delivery option, shoppers anywhere in Jefferson County can place a weekly online order and choose a delivery window on either Thursday or Friday to have fresh, locally grown groceries brought straight to their door.
CMI encourages Jefferson County residents to visit saintisidoremarket.com to place their first delivery order and see the full weekly vendor lineup.
700 Dozen Eggs Distributed!
In a special initiative with two local farms, CMI distributed 700 dozen locally-sourced eggs to area food pantries in three counties: Jefferson County Community Ministries in Charles Town, Covenant Church Food Pantry in Shepherdstown, People of Worth and CCAP Loaves & Fishes in Martinsburg, and Starting Points in Morgan County.
Instead of wasting 700 dozen eggs as hog feed or garbage, CMI purchased them at a fair price from overburdened local producers stuck with excess inventory and saw to it they were quickly distributed to food banks across the panhandle. These eggs became a much-needed source of nutrition for struggling families in uncertain times.
This is just another example of how CMI partners every day to connect the people of West Virginia to fresh, locally produced foods while strengthening our farmers and food producers.
Meet the Farmer – Cooper Farms
Meet Tim & Rebecca Cooper, owners of Cooper Farms, a family-run operation along the Little Cacapon river in Points, WV – Hampshire County. Focusing on growing quality and nutritious vegetables for delivery to the wider region, Cooper Farms has quickly grown to nearly 32,000 square feet of high tunnel greenhouse space with plans for an additional 17,000 square feet and a hydroponic facility to grow greens.
Cooper Farms’ produce anchors Community Markets’ Food Box Giveaways, providing most of the fresh vegetables for each household and giving our St. Isidore Market and Magnolia Market customers a delicious array of veggies to choose from. While family farms are disappearing across the country, the Cooper Family continues to build a sustainable enterprise focusing on delivering fresh food directly to their neglected region rife with food deserts and underserved communities.
Fall CSA Sign Ups! Want weekly produce delivered to you this Fall through the end of the year? Support Cooper Farms and enjoy WV’s autumn bounty of produce by signing up today for the CMI/Cooper Farms Fall CSA! Use This FORM to learn more and sign up.
Food Box Giveaways Feed 800 People in Paw Paw and Charles Town!
Our Food Box giveaway program had a busy month, delivering over 5 Tons of fresh and local food to 273 households serving nearly 800 people. And we’re keeping up the momentum with 2 more food box giveaways – one each in Martinsburg and Ranson. Stay tuned! Thank you to Starting Points and St. James the Greater Catholic Church among other partners for making these Giveaways successes!
Recent Partners & Funders
Community Markets Inc. is very grateful for the recent grants and support that we’ve received from the following partners:
- Starting Points of Morgan County – $1,037.31 for the Food Box Giveaway Program and the SNAP Extend Program.
Thank you, Jefferson Security Bank, for renewing your partnership with CMI through 2029!
How Can I Get Involved? September at CMI
September Fundraiser: Eat Out & Support CMI!
Too busy to cook with school back in session? How about dinner at Panera Bread in Ranson? On September 23rd, Panera is donating 20% of your order if you use the code FUND4U at Panerabread.com, in the Panera app, or at the kiosk in Cafe. If you’re ordering at the counter, just show the graphic below to the cashier.
Celebrate & Support CMI! Have something to celebrate with the office or team this month? Buy coffee or lunch in bulk and support CMI in the process!
RSVP and Share this event on Facebook.
CMI is Hiring — AmeriCorps Mobile Markets Coordinator & Part-Time Drivers!
Join the CMI Team as the following: part-time Truck & Trailer Driver & full-time year-long Mobile Markets Coordinator AmeriCorps VISTA Member.
Learn More and Apply Today! Visit CMI’s Careers Page
Volunteers Needed!
Need a meaningful way to give back? Volunteer with Community Markets Inc.! Help is needed at our Mobile Markets, at Food Box Giveaways, in the office, and on the road making home deliveries and farm pick ups.
Learn More and sign up to help by Visiting Our Volunteer Page
September Food Box Giveaways: Day of Caring Ranson & Martinsburg
September will be a busy month for our Food Box Giveaway program, with 150 families being fed in Ranson on the 15th and Martinsburg on the 19th.
September 15 – Day of Caring, Ranson, WV
Please RSVP and Share this on Facebook
September 19 – Martinsburg, WV
Please RSVP and Share this on Facebook
Keep your Pantry Stocked for Back-To-School!
St. Isidore Market and Magnolia Market both offer convenient online ordering with hundreds of locally-grown produce, meats, ice cream, dairy, baked goods, and pantry items to choose from!
Visit either market website using the links above to see the latest products and vendors, then place your pre order from Fridays to Tuesdays at noon for pick up later in the week!
St. Isidore Market Home Delivery is Now Serving All of Jefferson County!
Did You Know? Your St. Isidore Market Pre Order can now be delivered to your home on Thursday night or Friday if you live in Jefferson County! Select the Delivery option at checkout to get started!
Live towards Inwood or Middleway? Have your Pre Order delivered to our Drop Point at Priest Field for easy pick up on Thursday evenings! Select the Priest Field Drop Point at checkout to get started!
Order Local & Affordable Groceries Now:
St. Isidore Market
Magnolia Market
Ready to increase health and wellness for every West Virginian with West Virginian Grown Food?
Become a Monthly Donor today!
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Feed Hungry Families. Support our Farmers. Increase Local Food Access.