Market on Greenfield Celebrates One Year Serving Wilmington Families

Our no-cost Market on Greenfield celebrated a full year of operation this year! 

Since opening its doors, the Market on Greenfield has become more than a place to pick up groceries — it has become a trusted community resource where access to nutritious food and resources support stability, health, and hope. And this year marks an important milestone for the Food Bank’s no-cost Market on Greenfield in Wilmington: one full year of serving neighbors with dignity, choice, and compassion. 

Launched with the support of local residents who faced challenges accessing food following the loss of the neighborhood’s only grocery store, the market offers a variety of products within walking distance. 

The Market is designed to feel like a welcoming neighborhood market rather than a traditional, more prescriptive food distribution site. This allows neighbors to shop weekly for groceries at no cost, selecting ingredients that best meet their household’s needs. Fresh fruits and vegetables, pantry staples, protein, and dairy products are displayed in an organized, approachable space that reinforces the Food Bank’s commitment to access and dignity. We also stock household essentials like toilet paper, kleenex, soap, and other toiletries. 

"The Market and SNAP help me with nutritious meals...which means I have funds to pay for power and gas. I don't stress as much." 

– Market on Greenfield Shopper Wilmington, NC

Another defining feature of the Market on Greenfield is access to ready-to-go meals, produced on site. 

Thanks to the Food Bank’s production kitchen — helmed by Chef Kenneth Pohlman — shoppers can take home nutritious, prepared meals that are easy to heat and enjoy. These meals are especially helpful for seniors, individuals with disabilities, working parents, and anyone who may lack the time, equipment, or ability to prepare meals from scratch. Chef Pohlman and the kitchen team bring culinary expertise and creativity to every dish, transforming donated ingredients into balanced, flavorful meals made with care. By offering these prepared options alongside traditional grocery items, the Market helps remove additional barriers to food access and ensures that nourishment is both practical and appealing.

Over the past year, this integrated model has helped more than 27,000 neighbors stretch tight budgets while maintaining choice and autonomy.

Volunteers also help the Market respond quickly to changing needs. 

As inventory shifts or demand spikes, the flexibility and commitment of more than 1,100 volunteers allows the Market to stay nimble and responsive. Simply put, without volunteers, the Market on Greenfield could not function at the level our community depends on. Their time and energy directly translate into meals on tables and relief for neighbors facing food insecurity.

The Market also partners with local community agencies to offer wrap-around services such as blood pressure monitoring, vision and hearing testing, and nutrition counseling. The Food Bank's nutrition team also provides demonstrations and recipes for delicious, family-friendly meals for all experience levels — made with ingredients commonly available at the Market and other local food assistance sites. 

As demand for food assistance continues to rise across North Carolina, the Market on Greenfield has played a critical role in meeting that need locally. 

Economic uncertainty, rising food costs, and changes to public assistance programs have left many households seeking additional support. The Market stands as a steady, reliable presence — open, stocked, and ready to serve.

As the Market on Greenfield celebrates its first full year of operation, we're proud of all this community has accomplished — and deeply grateful to who everyone who continues to make this work possible. Donors, volunteers, staff, and partners have come together to create a space that reflects what food assistance can and should be: accessible, respectful, and rooted in community.

Together, we are proving that when a community shows up for one another, access to healthy food becomes not just a service, but a shared responsibility — and a shared success.