The Food Bank of Delaware has received a $10,000 Winter 2026 grant from the Jacques Pépin Foundation to support workforce training programs at its Newark community kitchen. (Photo courtesy of Food Bank of Delaware.)

The Food Bank of Delaware has been selected as a Winter 2026 grant recipient by the Jacques Pépin Foundation, earning $10,000 to support its workforce training programs at its Newark community kitchen.

The Food Bank was one of 20 organizations nationwide chosen for the latest round of grants from the foundation, which supports community-based culinary education programs serving individuals facing barriers to employment.

According to the foundation, the funding will provide general operating support for the Food Bank of Delaware’s Culinary School and its Kitchen School, a program launched in 2022 to serve adults with disabilities. Both programs offer hands-on training in culinary arts, food service and warehousing logistics, with students gaining experience through on-site cafés where they help design menus and lead food preparation and service.

In addition to the grant funding, the Food Bank of Delaware will receive branded aprons for students and a group membership to the foundation.

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Food Bank of Delaware officials said the grant will help sustain programs that focus on job readiness and skill development alongside hunger relief.

“We are deeply grateful to the Jacques Pépin Foundation for their recognition and support of our programs,” said Anna McDermott, chief impact officer of the Food Bank of Delaware. “This gift will allow us to continue in Chef Pépin’s tradition of making culinary knowledge and training accessible to everyone in our community.”

Founded in 2016, the Jacques Pépin Foundation became a grant-making organization in 2019. The organization reports it has distributed nearly $2 million to 98 nonprofit culinary training programs across the country over the past seven years.

Other Winter 2026 grant recipients include organizations in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The foundation awards grants twice a year, with applications for its Summer Grant Program opening in February.

Sara Uzer

Sara Uzer is a journalist from Sussex County with more than 15 years of experience as a writer, editor, and community advocate.  She started her career in Washington, DC and has lived in Sussex County for the past five years.