August 17, 2026

By Sara Millhouse

Last year, Catholic Charities Seton Center built a huge outdoor table to hold local produce that nourished residents on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Between July and October of last year, farmers like Michael Edwards shared 10 tons of fresh squash, zucchini, peppers, bok choy, kale, collard greens, cucumbers and tomatoes grown just outside of town. 

“People would come, and they were so excited,” said Food Distribution Supervisor Craig Dugan.  “And when it comes from the farm like that, it’s fresh-fresh. If he came in at lunchtime and brought us a truckload of stuff, it was just picked that morning.” 

Food loses nutritional value as time passes between picking and consumption. “We want to be able to provide good, balanced, healthy food for our neighbors,” Dugan said. “This still had the sand and the dirt on it, and that’s what our people here love.”

The Seton Center’s Princess Anne neighbors used the local produce as quickly as it could be delivered. No matter how much the farmer brought, it always got eaten.

Last year’s cornucopia came from Wood Duck Landing Farm to Catholic Charities Seton Center through the federal Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program. Across the country, LFPA distributed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of local food to people and communities in need, while building market opportunities and stability for local farmers.

This year, however, the Seton Center won’t have free, fresh, veggies from and for Somerset County. The Trump administration canceled funding for the LFPA program, and Congress has not taken action to fund it. “Our neighbors here really need that nutritious food,” Dugan said.

Despite the squeeze, Dugan will continue to source fresh food at Seton Center in any way he can, with the help of Somerset County churches, organizations and individuals who step up to help their neighbors when the pantry runs low.

About one in five Somerset County residents lives below the poverty line, according to the 2020 Census. And increasing food prices make people stretch limited budgets by buying food that provides high energy but low nutrition. “It’s easier or cheaper to buy a double cheeseburger than a salad,” Dugan said.

Catholic Charities Seton Center feeds about 700 families a month. It also runs a shelter called Bethany House down the road. It offers assistance to families and runs a thrift store. 

This year, Seton Center will also get 30% less food from the Maryland Food Bank, while many Marylanders are struggling with lower Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. “There’s more cuts and more cuts,” Dugan said. “But we’re seeing an uptick in neighbors signing up for our program every month, so we’re getting more people in and less food coming in.”

New sign-ups tripled from October to November last year when SNAP benefits dropped. In 2026, many families are continuing to see reduced SNAP benefits, such as one family whose benefits went from $180 to $24 monthly.

Before coming back to his Maryland home, Dugan spent his entire career in the restaurant industry. He loves having a job now where he gets to help people. “I’m still working in a food environment, and many, many moons ago, I had to rely on help to feed my family,” he said.

Dugan looks forward to coming to work every morning because he shares deep relationships with his Princess Anne and Somerset County neighbors. “Most of the people we see every month, and we’ve gotten really close to them,” he said.

“We’re going through their life changes with them, whether they just had a baby or someone died,” he continued. “We have these very personal relationships, and they’re pouring their hearts out to us. We hear a lot of different stories.”