It’s been three years since Puente held its first Zumba class in the gym at Pescadero Elementary. Even in isolated Pescadero, the fitness class – which incorporates elements of salsa, merengue and other improvised Latin dances – was an instant hit.

“People got hooked on the first day,” recalls Rita Mancera, Program Director at Puente and one of three Puente staff members who double as a Zumba instructor.

Now, twice-weekly classes are often so packed – with up to 50 adults and children jumping, spinning, and grinning – that there is barely room to move.

On February 26, Puente will hold a ‘Zumbathon’ – a Zumba marathon session and fundraiser to ensure the Zumba classes can continue at their current level. Although Puente receives support from the Bella Vista Foundation for Zumba, Puente needs to raise $1,000 to help cover childcare and to buy a new sound system to replace the one that belongs to the La Honda-Pescadero School District. Puente uses the sound system for Zumba classes but it needs replacing, according to Mancera. Although Zumba classes have low overhead overall and classes are donation-based, Puente does also pay its instructors and it also covers on-going training obtained through their membership to the Zumba instructor network.

The Zumbathon, a longer version of the typical Zumba class, will occur at the Pescadero High School gym to accommodate up to 100 people. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at Puente or by calling (650) 879-1691.

Zumba lover Erika Vera, 33, has been coming to classes since they began in 2010.

Vera loves to dance, and she says Zumba changed her life. She’s lost weight and, during dance sessions, she enjoys the opportunity to focus on her body instead of the day-to-day problems that may await her at home.

“I feel healthier and I’m always full of energy,” says Vera, who definitely needs energy for her 3 children. “Before, I was fuller and I didn’t even have the motivation to go out and walk. But now I do.”

The South Coast, of course, has no fitness gym or dance club. Field and nursery workers have little time to exercise and often lack the time and resources to eat healthy food to avoid problems like obesity and diabetes.

Zumba came to Pescadero in 2010 at the initiative of Visión y Compromiso, a California-based nonprofit that advocates for community health. Visión y Compromiso brought instructors to Pescadero to teach the first few Zumba classes at Puente, after which Puente took over. Zumba became a worldwide craze after a Columbian dance instructor presented it to a fitness class in Miami 10 years ago. Today Zumba classes extend well into both hemispheres and will shortly be introduced to Russia, India and China.

Zumba is joyful and it’s communal. It’s about sweating, shaking your hips, and laughing when you mess up a routine. It tends to attract a lot of mothers like Erika Vera, and children as well – some as young as 10.

Gaby Flores, 21, leads Zumba classes at Puente. She’s held a number of jobs at Puente over the years, but according to her teaching Zumba is her favorite.

“I like it because for an hour, people can forget about everything and everyone else. I like that I can bring happiness to them, even if it’s in a small way,” she says.

The Zumbathon will be held at the Pescadero High School at 5:30 pm on February 26. Tickets are $10. To purchase Zumbathon tickets or to learn more, contact Puente at (650) 879-1691. Volunteers are also still needed- contact Abby at amohaupt@mypuente.org if you are interested.

From the time of its founding in 1998 by Reverend Wendy Taylor, Puente has served as home for interns from a variety of denominations.

Abby Mohaupt landed at Puente in 2012 at the initiative of Rev. Rob Martin at First Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto. Martin secured temporary funding for two pastoral interns to come work for the church. The unusual part of the arrangement: they would also spend part of their week supporting a local nonprofit. Puente is one such nonprofit, and Mohaupt, who had just graduated from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, got the job.

Mohaupt became Puente’s first Faith Community Liaison, which involves reaching out to churches, synagogues and other faith groups and involving them in Puente’s work. It turns out that, even though Puente is a secular organization, many congregations feel a kinship with its mission to serve migrant farm workers, underprivileged families, and youth.

Abby’s outreach has resulted in new relationships with congregations as far afield as Clovis, where members of the United Japanese Christian Church recently came together to donate a whole minivan worth of sleeping bags, coasts, stocking stuffers, and other essentials this Christmas.

“It’s a congregation that’s full of immigrants. They could really relate to the immigrant experience and have had conversations around food and farming,” says Mohaupt.

A lasting bond

Puente seeks to leverage that kind of enthusiasm into long-term relationships with congregants themselves. Executive Director Kerry Lobel loves it when local congregants personally take the time to come and volunteer with Puente. It’s a somewhat new kind of relationship for Puente, and a welcome one.

“I don’t think we were really equipped before. We knew how to deal with “donated items,” but were not always able to sustain deep relationships with congregants,” says Lobel.  “To get people to be here, working with us shoulder to shoulder, is powerful..”

Staffing Puente’s Christmas Posada would not have been possible without the generous efforts of 45 faith-based volunteers, most of whom are members of First Presbyterian Church. Thanks to Mohaupt, Puente has reclaimed connections with 10 congregations throughout California. At least two more will start working with Puente this spring.

Puente has come full circle since it started out as Puente Ministry, an extension of Rev. Wendy Taylor’s work at Pescadero Community Church. That was 15 years ago. Rev. Taylor tied many local congregations to Puente’s mission. Mohaupt has pulled them back in.

“I love my job,” she says. “I get to talk with people about how their faith may call them to care about people who are farm workers, who are often poor, and who may not have access to healthy food. I get to connect people of faith to actions of justice.”

Real relationships

First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto has been living those words for years; the church’s progressive values date back to its advocacy work with migrant farmers in the 1960s, according to Rev. Martin.

The church has been close to Kerry Lobel and to Puente for five years. Rev. Martin has personally painted walls and cleaned rooms on behalf of Puente staff and clients. He and his congregants have done backpack drives, and purchased clothes and bicycles. They have raised money to offset winter electrical bills for Puente clients who can’t afford to pay. This Christmas, they made a large financial contribution for stockings and gifts.

“There are so many faith communities that simply write checks to organizations, but have no relationship to the groups they’re supporting,” says Rev. Martin. “We felt we needed to have a much deeper relational presence with Puente. It’s about having a deep and abiding relationship, not just with the organization, but with the people the organization is serving.”

To learn more about Puente faith-based outreach or to volunteer, contact Abby Mohaupt at amohaupt@mypuente.org or (650) 879-1691