El Mercado: Cultivating community through fresh food
Every Wednesday evening, a space inside St. Vincent de Paul’s NextPhase Family Dining Room transforms into a mini farmers market. This event is called El Mercado, a weekly event where families in need can pick farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, grown just steps away at SVdP’s Rob and Melani Walton Urban Farm.
SVdP's Urban Farm staff and volunteers begin their day early in the morning by harvesting the fresh, seasonal produce across three SVdP farm sites. From mint and crisp cucumbers to hearty turnips, kale, carrots, celery, and even farm-fresh eggs, each item is handpicked with care. Once harvested, the produce is cleaned and beautifully displayed at the free mini farmers market set up inside SVdP’s Family Dining Room.
After enjoying a warm, nutritious dinner together, families are invited to shop the market and take home as much fresh and free produce as they need to prepare healthy, home-cooked meals all week long.
For many of SVdP’s dinner guests, El Mercado offers them the opportunity to pick out fresh produce that is not always affordable for them at the grocery store. For staff and volunteers, this event is more than food, it’s a chance to meet their community and spread kindness and belonging to the people in attendance.
As the evening ends, SVdP's urban farm staff pack up crates of any left over produce, ready to provide nourishing food all over again next week.
