As each of the 80 local families hand-selected fresh produce from bins set out on tables outside St. Catherine’s Parish in Morgan Hill, 13-year-old Trinity Chester greeted them with a welcoming smile and told them how many of each item they could pack in their grocery bag.
Trinity, who started the second annual free farmers market last year with a group of friends as part of their teen ministry project, doubled the amount of recipients in the March 18 event through some extensive outreach efforts. The teens distributed fliers at the local senior center, the Learning and Loving Education Center in Morgan Hill and the homeless shelter in Gilroy to broaden their reach.
“So far, it’s going great,” said Trinity as she helped collect eight apples and put them into one man’s grocery bag. “People from last year told their friends, too. So, there’s more people at the beginning this year than there was last year.”
Fruits such as apples, bananas, lemons, oranges, watermelon and cantaloupe as well as vegetables including peppers, zucchini, onions, lettuce, kale and mushrooms were donated by local small farmers and distributors while other staples were bought using gift cards from grocery stores.
“Meeting the people is my favorite part,” said the home-schooled seventh grader who spent months planning the four-hour free farmers market. “I get to see everyone who benefits from the work that we put into it.”
Afterwards, the families—who just have to sign their name and place of residency before taking part—are also invited to a soup supper later the same day as part of the church’s La Tavola Di San Giuseppe or St. Joseph’s Table along with the Italian Catholic Federation.
“This is wonderful,” said San Martin resident and St. Catherine’s church-goer Luis Gonzalez who was blown away that Trinity was behind it all. “Any ideas of kids are welcome. They are the future of tomorrow.”
Also taking advantage of the March 18 giveaway was Dessie Vasquez, of Morgan Hill, who held her son as he was already enjoying a bag of small carrots while she made her way through the line.
“It’s fun,” Vasquez said. “What a great idea.”
Rose Pucan-Meagor, director of the family, faith formation and evangelization as well as leadership advisor for teens at St. Catherine’s Parish, helped turn Trinity’s idea of getting fresh fruit and veggies out to the neediest of families into a reality. Pucan-Meagor, however, passed all the credit to Trinity and her group.
“It’s such a wonderful opportunity for our youth to take charge of a project, see it through and see the results,” Pucan-Meagor said. “It’s really student-driven. It takes teamwork and real-time problem solving and is results-oriented. They know what their goal is and have to figure out what they need to get there.”
Trinity’s mother, Ixtlac Duenas, worked right alongside her daughter and the rest of the helpers handing out groceries—and even speaking some Spanish—to their visitors the sunny Friday afternoon of March 18.
“There’s definitely a need here,” said Duenas, who saw Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin residents stop by to fill a bag. “You can see it, the joy on their faces when they see all these fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Nothing went to waste, either, as any leftover produce from the giveaway was donated to the Reach Out Pantry housed behind St. Catherine.
