Farmers Market Expands Year-Round Mission with $50,000 State Grant
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in downtown Jamestown has long believed that caring for our neighbors includes feeding both body and spirit. That mission is at the heart of the church’s growing Farmers Market, which just received a $50,000 grant from New York State to expand its year-round commitment to local food access and farmer resilience.
The Farmers Market Resiliency Grant will help the market’s ministry flourish in new ways—supporting greenhouse subsidies for local farmers so they can grow more food throughout the colder months and sustain their livelihoods. These efforts align with St. Luke’s broader vision of building a more just, sustainable, and compassionate community through concrete acts of care and connection.
“For us, this market is not just about food—it’s about living out our faith in tangible ways,” said The Rev. Luke Fodor, Rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. “Jesus calls us to feed the hungry, care for our neighbors, and tend the earth. This grant helps us continue that sacred work by bringing healthy, local food to people year-round and ensuring our farmers have the support they need to thrive.”
St. Luke’s sees the market as a natural extension of its ministry in the heart of Jamestown, where economic challenges and food insecurity remain pressing concerns. The Winter Farmers Market, hosted in the church’s Undercroft, completed its first full season in 2024 with up to 14 weekly vendors—proving that the desire for connection, nourishment, and sustainability doesn’t end when the growing season does.
Alongside the state funding, the Jamestown Farmers Market was selected for the Western New York Foundation’s iCap Core program, which will strengthen its organizational capacity to serve both farmers and the wider community. The Foundation’s support of greenhouse infrastructure aligns with the shared goal of fostering resilient, adaptive local economies—especially as climate change brings new uncertainties to small-scale agriculture.
Currently, fewer than 10% of Chautauqua County farms sell directly to consumers. St. Luke’s sees changing that as part of its call to restore right relationships between people, land, and community. By helping more farmers connect directly with local residents, the market works to build a healthier, more equitable food system and to offer dignity through access to good, fresh food.
The grant will also enhance the physical space of the market through a “Greening the Market” initiative—installing planters with native trees, shrubs, and flowers to create a more welcoming, park-like environment where relationships can grow alongside produce. A new website and expanded outreach will further spread the word, inviting more people into this shared ministry of abundance and connection.
“With faith and community partners behind us, we are cultivating more than just crops—we’re cultivating hope, resilience, and the kind of community Jesus envisioned: where all have enough and all are welcome,” said Fodor.
About the Jamestown Farmers Market
The Jamestown Farmers Market, a program of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, operates weekly in downtown Jamestown during the summer and through the winter months. It exists to support local farmers, nourish the community, and create opportunities for connection, stewardship, and shared flourishing.