nonprofit

Welcome Rosi Bustamante to MCM

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Mission Community Market in Blog | Leave a comment

Greetings and saludos!  I am honored to serve as the new Executive Director of Mission Community Market and look forward to hosting our beloved open air market and the future Mercado Plaza.  I have been a Mercado fan since it opened, and can’t believe my luck that I am now helping it grow!  I look forward to partnering with vendors, local organizations, the City, neighbors, youth, schools, and YOU to make the Mercado our own and use it to build a stronger community.

Just a bit about myself:  I am from Tijuana, Mexico, and have lived in San Francisco for 15 years.  I moved to The Mission to raise my kids in a Latino environment, which is why my two boys attend a Spanish Immersion school, Buena Vista Horace Mann, two blocks from el Mercado! My professional background has always been in the nonprofit sector, focused on fundraising and building partnerships–two ingredients essential to MCM’s growth!  We will need everyone’s support to make that happen, though – please be on the lookout for opportunities to help us grow to meet community needs in a fun, welcoming, and healthy way. Feel free to drop me an email as well if you’d like to collaborate.

Come and say “Hola!” at the market every Thursday – I will probably be wearing red, and would love to meet you and your family.

Salud! [meaning ‘cheers’, but also, ‘health’!]

Rosi Bustamante

Executive Director

Spotlight on Dirt to Dish

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Mission Community Market in Blog, Dirt to Dish, Vendors | Leave a comment

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A relatively new vendor to the market that we’re excited to feature is Dirt to Dish Raw Juice Cooperative. The organization’s founder Maria offers free tastings of all her revitalizing juices on Thursdays at the market.  Dirt-to-Dish juices come in 12, 16 and 32 ounce sizes. Since her freshly-pressed juices last for 3 days you can take yours to-go in handy mason jars that Maria provides free of charge and enjoy juice all weekend long!

Maria uses fresh, seasonal produce primarily sourced from farmers’ markets. Her best seller, the Green Refresher, is a thirst-quenching concoction of Cucumber, Kale, Apple, and Mint. Another popular hit, El Diablo, is a modern take on a traditional Mexican recipe with Orange, Carrot, Beet and Ginger. She loves working with various veggies for their for their medicinal abilities, especially Fennel which has anti-anxiety properties. She also provides free delivery to your front door, so you can get your juice fix anytime!

Many MCM patrons may not realize that this vendor reinvests the profits from her juice into programs for local youth. Maria established this non-profit organization and after-school program in an attempt to fill a hole within the public school system that she found while caring for her son Devan. Devan was born with a Sensory Processing Disorder, and as he grew Maria quickly learned the challenges of attaining the support he needed within state and public programs. Now she hosts workshops at the Joseph Lee Recreational Center and after-school classes which give kids the extra attention they need. Activities include hands-on exercises in outdoor gardens, such as planting seeds and transplanting starts, where children can get their hands dirty and connect with nature to increase their emotional intelligence and mind-body connection. They are also creating a skateboarding club and organizing field trips to local farms. Workshops have been on hiatus over the summer but they are starting up again on August 23rd with a juicing workshop. Maria fundraises for her after-school program primarily through selling raw juice.

To learn more about this commendable organization, check out her website at www.dirt-to-dish.org or stop by the Dirt to Dish stall at MCM every Thursday, 4 – 8 pm.