SFCC Presents Comida y Comunidad on Thursday, Sept. 8

Southside Farmers’ Market vendors will sell produce and participate in a bilingual evening forum

Santa Fe Community College will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from noon until 8 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 8 with Comida y Comunidad, an event with art, food, performance and a bilingual community conversation with regional farmers about local food and how to best serve Santa Fe’s Southside communities. Activities are free and open to the public on the college’s campus, 6401 Richards Avenue.

A pop-up farmers’ market and information fair will give the public an opportunity to sample and buy local produce from noon to 5 p.m. in the main lobby and hallway.

cdilveggiesDuring the event, peruse a special photo exhibition on campus from Sept. 6 through Sept. 30 that features two projects from La Familia Medical Center. During the summer of 2014, three vendors at the Southside Market (of the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market) participated in an informal photography course facilitated by a community health worker from La Familia Medical Center for The Farm to Frame (La Granja al Cuadro) project. Also, on exhibit will be photographs from La Familia Medical Center’s Healthy C.E.N.A. (Communidad, Ejercicio, Nutrición y Acción) Program. Four families took photographs to focus on the lack of healthy options and how we can make changes to live healthier lives.

Join SFCC staff members of G.A.M.E. (Great Achievement in Men’s Education) Jonathan Harrell, Carlos Balladares and Danny Suazo for their presentation, “The Roots of Traditional Foods of New Mexico and Latin America,” from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Jemez Rooms. SFCC students Carter Stern and Jessica Shoemaker will share how to make your own hydroponics/aquaponics home system from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Jemez Rooms.

The evening kicks off with a free performance by Los Niños de Santa Fe, a traditional Mexican dance group, in the college’s courtyard from 5 to 6 p.m.  Activities conclude with a plática, a bilingual conversation from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Jemez Rooms between local farmers and the community moderated by Professor of Speech Communication, Andrew Lovato, Ph.D., on the land’s historical context and how to create the most mutually beneficial Southside Market. Lovato and poet John Casquarelli will open with short readings. Farmers who will participate include José Antonio Serrano, Rocio Alcantar and Don Bustos.

The Santa Fe Community College event is presented in partnership with the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute, The Santa Fe Southside Farmers’ Market, La Familia Medical Center and the Health Equity Partnership. Campus participants include: G.A.M.E., the Center for Diversity and Integrated Learning, the Greenhouse Management Program and the President’s Diversity Advisory Committee.

For more information, contact Emily Stern, at emily.stern@sfcc.edu or 505-428-1467.


Santa Fe Community College celebrates its 40th Anniversary as the pathway to success for individuals and the community. SFCC provides affordable, high-quality programs that serve the academic, cultural, and economic needs of the community. The college welcomes over 10,000 students per year in credit, noncredit, workforce training, personal enrichment, and adult programs.
A “Best for Vets” and a “Military Friendly” school.

Visit sfcc.edu or call 505-428-1000.

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