Approximately 54,000 pounds of produce – enough to help feed 900 families – was brought to the West campus as part of Saturday's Market on the Move event.
The West campus partnered with The 3000 Club, a Phoenix based nonprofit organization, to provide up to 60 pounds of fruits and vegetables to the public at the cost of $10 per participant.
ASU coordinator Julia Garleb said the produce presented would otherwise have been destined for a Tucson landfill.
“This is almost like a second life for the produce," Garleb said. "This event is where we are trying to use it and save it before it goes to the landfill."
Ethel Luzario, cofounder and CEO of The 3000 Club, said the event only acquires food that could be bought in a supermarket.
“Sometimes if it’s not the right size, shape, form or if the produce brokers need to simply move or create space for fresher produce, then some of this produce ends up in the landfill,” Luzario said.
Produce brokers from Nogales donate the food, she said.
Luzario said her organization partnered with ASU because of the school’s goals for student engagement, health promotion and community involvement.
This is the second year that ASU brought the market to the campus. ASU West first hosted the event in spring 2012 with the help of the Students United Regarding Volunteering and Enrichment club.
Life science senior and SURVE President Jessica Spence said the purpose of this event was to involve ASU students with the community and to create a new tradition and name for the West campus.
“We are a school full of great students who love to help out in the community, are proud of the community they come from and are proud of the school they go to," Spence said. "We want to share that and show that with other people.”
Social and behavioral sciences senior DJ Duporte said Market on the Move brings the community together and helps it engage and see what the West campus has to offer.
“What’s awesome is that they’re not just buying it for themselves. They’re buying it for other people as well," Duporte said. "I think that gift of giving is huge.”
Luzario said the idea is for people to share the food with others who are in need.
“It’s sort of neighbors helping neighbors," she said." It’s not intended for the direct recipient, it's intended for people who may have been affected by the economy."
About 80 volunteers consisting of students, staff, faculty and local community members participated in the event.
Luzario said the $10 donation goes toward rescuing the produce and its transportation. Arizona State Credit Union also helped sponsor and offset costs.
Despite ASU only hosting the event annually, Market on the Move is held weekly in Tucson and Phoenix by The 3000 Club from November through May. Because the food is winter produce, the market will become a monthly event during the summer.
Reach the reporter at jcsolis@asu.edu or follow her @jackiecsolis
