Haagen Daz , Ben and Jerry ’ s , Dove Bars and Amy ’ s frozen foods . But that ’ s another story .
“ Mitch found me ,” Rob starts to say and then , without missing a beat and full of enthusiasm , points out after a customer query , “ We have chards , cooking greens , lettuce and here are compostable cornstarch bags .” Rob continues , “ I ’ ve been in some fifteen farm markets prior to this one and Bethesda was a business gamechanger . Mitch has a great understanding of what healthy food is — because he ’ s been on the ground doing it . And he doesn ’ t compromise for the customer . He literally allows competition in here and we all find our niche . There is a real camaraderie here ,” assures Rob , who sells exclusively through Central Farm Markets .
Organizing and deploying food deliveries to help people in need and a well-tuned dedicated drive through curbside pick-up lane , all came together as a result of COVID . And proved to be very successful . Probably the most telling response to COVID , and the core philosophy of Mitch and Deb , occurs after the weekly market customers are gone and the vendors are packing up . At the end of the market any farmer who wants to sell their produce that is perishable Mitch will buy to be distributed from the Manna Food Center . Manna is a food bank operation whose mission is “ to end hunger through food distribution , education , and advocacy .”
“ The total since we started is over a half a million pounds of fresh local produce given away .
We ’ re super proud of that and the money comes from the market , money that Debbie and I put in , grants that Manna gets , and the patrons . During COVID market patrons have been beyond generous dropping $ 250 checks , $ 100 dollar bills , always a stack of 20s in the jar at the entrance … because there are a lot of hungry people ,” says Mitch .
It ’ s spring and lots of regulars and new customers are showing up again at the market as vaccinations happen . “ People have been missing each other . Everybody helps everybody among the vendors . There are so many stories . I have a customer that goes to the Zeke ’ s coffee vendor , buys a bunch of coffees and gives them to their favorite vendors ,” exclaims Mitch . And that ’ s the spirit of this pop-up village in the heart of Bethesda !
We deliver farm-fresh milk , dairy products , farmer ’ s market fruits and vegetables , locally sourced meats , baked goods , and premade meals from our commercial kitchen – directly to your front door .
Visit our farm at 8305 Bolivar Road , Middletown , MD
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