Have you ever shopped at the Farmer’s market that is located at the Evergreen Village Square? The market operates on Wednesdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Sunday afternoons, you will see a few men, women, and youth wearing blue vests carrying boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables to load in a nearby van. They are not vendors but volunteers from St. Francis of Assisi parish. Every Sunday for the past 16 years, rain or shine, the volunteers gather to collect surplus food and deliver them to the Family Supportive Housing Project on North King Road. The shelter provides temporary housing and supportive services to single- and two-parent families who would otherwise be living on the streets. Close to 60 percent of the shelter residents are children under the age of 18. The volunteers’ efforts and the generosity of the vendors help the shelter provide the families with fresh vegetables and fruit year round. Last year, the volunteers collected over 40,000 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables for the shelter. This year, they hope to do the same.
Some of these volunteers come directly from Sunday Mass to help. Nourished by the Word of God, the Eucharist, and the community they go forward to glorify the Lord by their lives. When we leave Mass, we are being dispatched to our mission of bringing Christ to those around us. Wherever we are, we have a chance to show others the face of Christ. One way to do this is through acts of service and caring. Perhaps you are already actively involved in a ministry that help those in need. However, if you are seeking for another opportunity to do so, the Farmer’s Market volunteers, as they call themselves, are always in need of extra hands, especially during the summer months when their collections increase due to the abundance of summer fruit. The help they need range from collecting empty fruit and vegetable boxes from Costco to weighing the filled boxes so they can keep track of the number of pounds of food that is gathered at the end of the day. The packed boxes can get heavy; so when it comes to the task of collecting and carrying the boxes to the loading area, someone with the physical ability to do so would be most essential in this capacity. This is also a great ministry for teens who are looking for service hours and an opportunity to display young discipleship in action.
If you or someone you know are interested in volunteering or simply finding out more about the Farmer’s Market volunteer ministry, please contact Chris Simpson at christophersimpson@yahoo.com or at 408-205-1808.
