19 May 2017

Farmers Market kicks off on June 1!

Delicious local food, tons of children’s activities, and TAMALES! It is that time of year again. June is approaching which means our local farmers are getting ready to sell their produce at our Pescadero Grown Farmer’s Market! June 1st is the big day. From 3-7 PM there will be a number of activities happening, some new, some old. In one corner, you will see DJ Larry playing the crowd’s favorite tunes. All spread around, you will see our local vendors set up waiting to talk to you. There will be our fruit and veggie vendors such as Blue House Farm, Fly Girl Farm, Farmageddon, and Pie Ranch. There will be LeftCoast GrassFed selling local beef and pork. We will have tinctures, salves, and soaps by Steadfast Herbs. Jams and jellies from Spread the Love. The HMB Library will be present throughout the season providing childcare activities.

On top of these activities, since we have a new location with a lot more space, we are going to have soccer goals and balls, a volleyball net, badminton, and a marbles table set up EVERY market. We are really trying to make this a community event and get the kiddos active. The sports equipment isn’t just for the kids though – we encourage the adults to come to the market too for a pickup game. To celebrate opening day, PUENTE will be giving out tamales to those who attend the farmers’ market. The market is also having opportunities to win prizes! There will be Fitbit drawings at 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, and 6:00 pm! Are you seeing a theme here? We want our community being active and eating healthy food! There also will be a drawing for a mini iPad at 6:30 pm.

Does buying organic food put a strain on your wallet? The truth is it does for a lot of us. If you’re a community member of the South Coast (Pescadero, San Gregorio, La Honda, and Loma Mar) and consider yourself low-income, you might qualify for our Pescadero Grown tokens program. For low-income individuals and families we offer a dollar for dollar match up to $20 at every market. You give the market manager $20 and she will hand you back $40 in tokens. This is to put healthy food in your fridge! We double CalFresh and WIC as well.

If you have any questions about this program or anything to do with the farmers’ market, including becoming a vendor, please contact Charlea Binford. We hope to see you there- don’t miss out on a good time!

Note: The farmers’ market’s new address is 350 Stage Rd. It’s across the street from the community church!

Many thanks to TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation and POST for their support for the market.

Become a weekly supporter of Puente’s Farmer’s Market for $20 each week, $80 each month or $460 for the 2017 season (June 1st – November 2nd). Your generous support will help our low income neighbors be able to purchase twice as much of the local, healthy foods offered at the market. Support our Farmer’s Market and our Community Building efforts here.

19 May 2017

¡Comida deliciosa, muchas actividades para los niños, y tamales!

De nuevo es esa temporada del año. Junio ya se acerca y esto significa que nuestros agricultores locales se están preparando para vender sus productos en el Mercadito de Pescadero Grown in Pescadero. El primero de junio es la gran apertura. De las 3:00 a las 7:00 pm habrá un número de actividades, unas nuevas y otras conocidas. En una esquina estará DJ Larry tocando las canciones favoritas de todos. Alrededor, verás a todos los comerciantes locales listos para platicar contigo. Habrá frutas y verduras de nuestros vecinos en Blue House Farm, Fly Girl Farm, Farmageddon, y Pie Ranch. Estará Left Coast Grass Fed vendiendo carnes. Tendremos remedios, tinturas y jabones hechos por Stedfast Herbs. Jaleas y conservas de Spread the Love. La biblioteca de Media Luna estará presente durante la temporada ofreciendo actividades para los pequeños.

En conjunto con estas actividades, como tenemos un local nuevo más espacioso vamos a tener pelotas de futbol, una red de voleibol, bádminton, y una mesa de canicas en cada mercadito. Estamos tratando de que el mercadito sea un espacio comunitario y un evento semanal para que los niños y las niñas se diviertan y estén activos. El equipo deportivo no solo es para los niños – queremos que los adultos también vengan al mercadito a jugar. Para celebrar la apertura, Puente proveerá tamales para los que estén presente. El mercadito también habrá oportunidades para ganar premios. A las 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, y a las 6:00 pm un Fitbit (un reloj/marcapaso) va ser sorteado. ¿Estas dándote cuenta del tema que queremos promover? Queremos ver a nuestra comunidad practicando la actividad física y comiendo más saludable. También vamos a rifar un IPad mini a las 6:30 pm.

¿Piensas que la comida orgánica es más cara y lo sientes en tu bolsillo? La verdad es que si cuesta más comprar comida orgánica. Si eres un miembro de la comunidad de la Costa Sur (Pescadero, Loma Mar, San Gregorio, y La Honda) y te consideras que tienes bajos ingresos, podrías calificar para las fichas de Pescadero Grown. Para familias e individuos que tienen bajos ingresos este programa te da la oportunidad de igualar cada dólar hasta 20 dólares. Por ejemplo, si le das a la gerente del mercadito 20 dólares él/ella te proporcionará fichas con el valor de $40.00 para tus compras. Esto es para que tengas comida saludable en tu refrigerador. Doblamos CalFresh y WIC también. Si tienes preguntas acerca de este programa o algo relacionado con el mercadito, incluso si quieres vender en el mercadito, por favor comunícate con Charlea Binford. Esperamos verte allí- no te lo pierdas.

Muchas gracias a nuestros amigos de TomKat Educational Foundation y POST (Peninsula Open Space Trust) por su apoyo del mercadito.

Conviértete en un donador semanal del Mercadito de Puente por $ 20 cada semana, $80 al mes y $460 por la temporada  2017 (del 1 de junio al 2 de noviembre). Su generoso apoyo ayudará a nuestros vecinos de bajos ingresos a comprar el doble de los alimentos saludables locales que se ofrecen en el Mercadito. Apoye el Mercadito de Puente y nuestros esfuerzos de desarrollo comunitario aquí.

Nota: La dirección del Mercadito es 350 Stage Road, al frente de la iglesia comunitaria.

26 Oct 2016

Día de los Muertos: For the Community, By the Community

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Do you remember a time in your life when you were missing your home? Perhaps you were away at college, relocated temporarily for a job assignment or maybe traveling for longer than a short vacation. Being homesick is a feeling many of us have had at some point in our lives.

Much of the Latino community on the South Coast of San Mateo County in California have established a home here and are also far away from their home land. The Día de los Muertos holiday celebration organized by Puente each year is a great way for our community to feel closer to their loved ones, their extended family and, in turn, to their birth home.

Ten years ago, a mental health professional at Puente brought together a group of three women who were feeling homesick to help support each other. This group of women brainstormed different approaches they could take to feeling less homesick and helping their extended community do the same. The idea of celebrating the Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, was born.

Día de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated mostly in Mexico but also in other Latin American countries during which deceased loved ones are honored. The celebration can last one, two or three days depending the state of Mexico in which you live, and includes the creation of beautiful altars upon which offerings to the dead are made. The altars are decorated with candles, buckets of marigolds, bright red cock’s comb, fruit, plates of mole, loaves of bread, drinks, toys and other symbolic objects that represent the person or people being commemorated.

“We are so thrilled to be celebrating the tenth year of Día de los Muertos at Puente,” said Rita Mancera, executive director. “This program is a great example of what Puente does best—support our community members so that they, in turn, can support their neighbors, friends and family, in this case with a celebratory event.”

The first Día de los Muertos celebration at Puente was an effort to help the mothers of the community fight maternal depression. The women who organized the original event were able to focus on something beyond their immediate situation and offer comfort and support not only for each other but also other people. The celebration is a time for many to feel closer to their home country and loved ones and for others to learn something new about a culture and its tradition.

“This year our Día de los Muertos program ran through the month of October and included weekly workshops for attendees to learn about the history of the holiday and to prepare for the big celebration,” notes Iris Fernandez, Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT). “Puente facilitated the space for workshops and materials for the projects, everything else was organized and led by members of our community.”

This year, three amazing women, Adela Chaves, Marcela Vargas and Leydi Cervantes, organized and ran the Día de los Muertos workshops. Each workshop boasted strong, consistent turnouts and resulted in a beautiful collection of sugar skulls, painted stones and clay figures for the altars and papel picado and paper flowers for the celebration.

Día de los Muertos is an event not to be missed! The community comes together and a feeling of family and warmth fills the air. Join us Thursday, November 3, at Pescadero Grown! farmers’ market. The market runs from 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM, as always, and the Día de los Muertos celebration will begin with the start of the market. This is a special day because it is the final farmers’ market of the season and culminates with the Día de los Muertos celebration.

Special note: the final farmers’ market and the Día celebration have been postponed from the original date of October 27 due to weather reports indicating heavy rain and winds this week.