Non-profit organization, Eden Youth, has dedicated itself to contributing comprehensive care to under-resourced communities within South Hayward. Now, they hope to continue expanding their goal by joining forces with community development non-profit organization, Organize Hayward!, in hosting the first-ever South Hayward Market.
Planning for this event came to fruition when Community Leaders Julio Contreras and Sandra Frost applied for the Hayward People’s Budget–funding granted by the City of Hayward for community-led and community-generated projects. Once funding was secured, non-profit organization Organize Hayward! began brainstorming projects that could be launched. This led to the creation of the resident-led group Feed Hayward, whose initiative is to address food insecurity in the city. Feed Hayward then collaborated with Eden Youth to create a project that tackled this matter.
Public Relations Manager of Eden Youth, Jose Carlos Montesinos, explains, “Hayward is an impacted community that does not have enough access to affordable options for healthy food. Our goal was to provide healthy alternatives to this community who normally doesn’t have access to them.” With this objective in mind, the non-profits began to research via community surveys on what events the locals would like to see that worked towards rectifying this issue. This was when the topic of hosting a community market began to shape, as South Hayward had never had a market in their community before. Furthermore, the idea of a market fit perfectly with the Hayward Food Action Plan, which focused on connecting with Hayward food providers, educational partners, and food recovery organizations.
After much preparation and arrangement, the first local South Hayward Market took place on July 28 and gathered high foot traffic, marking it an instant success. The market supported a variety of local vendors, from food trucks such as Fijian BBQ and Rhome’s Bistro to accessory- and clothing-based vendors such as MCastillo Enterprise and Graciela Leyva. The market is currently working towards obtaining more produce vendors. Arts and crafts vendors as well as community resource booths, including Eden Youth, were also present and eager to meet attendees. Montesinos shares, “There is a lot of intentionality with what we’re trying to do through this event. We want to make sure that the community directly benefits from access to food and local vendors.”
At the upcoming August 26th market, CalFresh participants can use their EBT card to receive 50% off their purchase of fruits and vegetables. This is an excellent way to purchase high-quality organic and local produce at an affordable price. The August market will also accept Senior Bonus Bucks, which are $10 coupons for free fruits and vegetables issued to qualifying adults ages 60+ who participate in the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program.
Eden Youth hopes to expand the market’s vendors and resources as time goes on. Though the market’s schedule has been set to take place every last Sunday of the month until October, the non-profit hopes that, in time, the event can be sustained by partnerships with organizations dedicated to providing financial support for community needs. Montesinos says, “We are actively working towards processing the necessary paperwork and permits to establish this market’s foundation for the future. We’re even planning on allocating booth spaces for youth who want to sell their products.”
Ensuring that food is easily accessible for South Hayward not only emphasizes Eden Youth’s dedication to giving back to the community but highlights its genuine care towards making sure that this community feels nurtured and heard. Montesinos says, “We saw a lot of community members at the first market who were happy about the opportunity to access the items offered. Our staff and vendors felt valued for their contributions.” With this level of success on its opening, the South Hayward Market is set to continue thriving.
South Hayward Community Market
Sunday, Aug 25; Sunday, Sept 29; and Sunday, Oct 27
12-4pm
South Hayward BART Station
28601 Dixon St., Hayward
instagram.com/southhaywardmarket/
No entry or parking fee
