by Isaac Gonzalez-Diaz
Freshmen and transfer students from California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) had the opportunity to connect with Monterey County local businesses during the first weekly Associated Students Farmers Market on Thursday, Sept. 12.
At least 11 businesses were set up at Parking Lot 71, ready to offer organic produce, refreshing boba drinks, baked potatoes and more to the over 500 students registered for the event.
One of the local vendors named VICA Silver displayed handcrafted silver rings, catching the interest of first-year psychology major Isabella Easley. “I love that it is so diverse with a lot of different food and stuff that people are showing off. I think it’s really cool.”
The Associated Students (AS) provided a $10 non refundable voucher to the first students who arrived at the event, which they could use to purchase products of their choosing.
AS also provided a place for students to sit down and draw while listening to diverse music, connecting with friends and meeting new people.
According to Robert Gonzalez, associated student officer, the farmer’s market was designed to serve the Otter community and bring a sense of inclusivity to campus. It also allows students to access more affordable resources, such as fresh market products that might be higher priced at grocery stores.
“We are helping local farmers supporting the environment because they don’t use all of these chemicals to grow their crops,” said Gonzalez. “They are relatively fresh and untouched by these harmful pesticides to humans.”
This was the case of Citlalli Nuñez, a Gilroy resident working with Tu Universo Farms, one of the local vendors. “We get to serve our community here with lots of fresh vegetables, we actually picked everything this morning, so that’s the freshest we can get,” said Nuñez.
Antonio Arredondo, a Computer Science major student, recalled the feeling like home when assisting at the Farmer’s Market.
“I have a Farmer’s Market in my town, I just wanted to have that homelike feeling again and to be honest it is pretty nice out here,” he said.