Food insecurity is a serious problem for some families in our Delmarva community. Two of our region’s leading nonprofits, the Food Bank of Delaware and the Delaware Botanic Gardens have been cooperating to help address this community need.

On Mother’s Day, the Gardens gave free admission to guests who donated food for the Food Bank of Delaware. Over 1000 guests visited DBG on May 14 and generously donated 2,355 pounds of food which were delivered to the Food Bank’s Milford facility.

Ray Sander, President of the Delaware Botanic Gardens said “We are happy to share the beauty of the Delaware Botanic Gardens to help the important work of the Food Bank of Delaware. We are very proud of the generosity of our visitors who donated over a ton of essential foods to celebrate Mother’s Day.”

Sheryl Swed, DBG Executive Director, noted that the successful Mother’s Day food donations were preceded by the April 22 Earth Day free admission offering by DBG which attracted 500 guests who donated more than 1,300 pounds of essential foods which were delivered to the Food Bank of Delaware. “Clearly our guests understand the severity of food insecurity and they actively support the sense of community being forged by these two community-focused nonprofits.”

“We are grateful for the generosity of the Botanic Gardens,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Cathy Kanefsky. “Our community is just incredible and always steps up in a big way to help our neighbors in need. Unfortunately, with high prices due to inflation, so many in our community are struggling to put meals on the table. The continued support of the gardens and its visitors help to stock the shelves of our partner food pantries.”

The Delaware Botanic Gardens are open to the public Thursday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and located at 30220 Piney Neck Road, Dagsboro, DE 19939. Go to www.delawaregardens.org.