Charity Paves Way for Better Seniors’ Market

For more than two years, Valley residents have gathered each Sunday in Encino to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at Organization for the Needs of the Elderly’s farmers market, which benefits many of the group’s programs and services.

So what’s the problem?

A dusty dirt parking lot that soiled patrons’ cars and made visits to the site a soggy, muddy ordeal on rainy days, according to Marilyn Fried, executive director of ONE for the last three years.

Enter the National Charity League’s San Fernando Valley chapter, a group of eager volunteers who have assisted with the weekly produce sales since they began in 1994.

Recognizing the need for a permanent parking area, the organization paid $30,000 to pave the lot in June.

On Sunday, members of ONE will be joined by Los Angeles City Councilwoman Laura Chick and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky in thanking the league for its generous gift at a 10 a.m. ceremony at 17400 Victory Blvd.

“It’s the single most important thing they could do to help the market grow,” Fried said.

Before the paving, staff members feared the dirty lot was deterring customers, Fried said, noting that attendance has swelled from approximately 1,000 to 1,500 in the weeks since the asphalt was laid.

During Sunday’s ceremony, a bronze plaque purchased by the National Charity League will be unveiled at the lot’s entrance that reads, “With love and admiration for our friends at ONE.”

“We have a wonderful relationship with them,” Fried said. “We cherish them and they know it.”