Our Ambassador Tessa Rothwell provides a recap of the second No-Cost Market (read about the first here):
Maggie Rothwell (Tessa’s mom) preforming at the No-Cost Market.
I joined the Foundation a year ago, and remember hearing throughout the year about the success of the first No-Cost Farm Market in 2018. I arrived at the 2019 market knowing there would be a large turnout. What I did not expect was the hundreds upon hundreds of fresh produce items that I, along with a large team of helpful volunteers from the community (including our partners from Red Hook Rotary), put into paper bags to be passed out later to the community members. It seemed as if there was no end to the amount of fresh broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, lemons, onions, and other items which were being distributed. When the event began, I was bursting with excitement to be the first greeter in the distribution line. When I wasn’t busy interacting with the community, I saw the other volunteers’ interactions, and it was special to feel the positive energy coming from all four corners of the room. Knowing that many families would be going home with fresh produce as well as Thanksgiving turkeys was heartwarming. Endless gratitude to all of the local farms and vendors who donated their time and their food to help the community, to Nick Ascienzo and Emma Donahue for planning the event, and to all of the community volunteers. Special thanks to Chef Larry for his food samplings, to my mother, Maggie Rothwell, for providing music, and to Bard CCE for providing fun children’s activities, including pumpkin explosion demos! We couldn’t have done it without all of you!
-Tessa Rothwell (RHHS ‘18)
The volunteers for the day!