Community market in a world of its own

A man wearing an old, sweat-stained baseball hat shouts, " Papaya! Papaya! Papaya!" Meanwhile, his partner haggles with an old woman over a bag of navel oranges. Across the way, a heavyset gentleman breaks open a bag of ice over freshly caught seafood. Two aisles over, children gather to watch caged canaries as an old man slowly reclines in his lawn chair to enjoy a cigarette.

 Since 1998, the Community Market at Oxnard College has been a vital part of the community. Elio Lopez, the manager of the community market, has been involved with the market for five years.  

 "We generate taxes, we generate jobs for the community [and] we generate customers," said Lopez.

 Every Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., vendors and shoppers are always there. Connie Owens, Oxnard College community development specialist, believes that the market is very important to the community because, "they are the ones who asked for it."

 According to Owens, the profits from the community market go to scholarship and awards programs. It also creates funds for the school library, as well as providing funds to support Campus Clean-Up Day and adopt a computer program.

 For more information and directions to the Community Market at Oxnard College, go to www.oxnardcollege.edu or call the Oxnard college foundation at (805) 986 5889.