Fourth Parish-based Community Market Opens, Supports High Need for Food
The opening of the fourth parish-based Community Market in February expands opportunities for both individuals seeking resources and for parishioners living out their faith as volunteers.
“The need has never been higher – including the level of need we saw during the height of the pandemic,” noted Bridget Balajadia, Program Director of Parish Engagement. “We are experiencing peak registration numbers at all of our locations.”
St. Athanasius Church in Mountain View is the fourth site in Santa Clara County where Catholic Charities Parish Engagement Program operates a weekly community outdoor market. Parish volunteers are a key component in the success of the markets that offer food and support to meet critical needs, as well as resources for individuals of all backgrounds to make lasting life changes.
Volunteer opportunities include short-term weekly shifts at the market along with longer-term commitments. Trained “accompaniment volunteers” are paired with specific individuals – most of whom have experienced significant trauma over the course of their lives – to support them on their paths to self-sufficiency over the course of several months.
“As a volunteer in the Parish Engagement Program, it has impacted me tremendously,” according to Lucia Carrillo, an accompaniment volunteer at Our Lady of Refuge and a member of the community for 30 years. “I feel that I am following the Gospel in a closer, more intimate way with others and helping them attain a better way of life. It’s a joy to be here helping our clients, who are our brothers and sisters, in this parish.”
