Turkey, wine, jewelry, and clothes are just a few of the many items that can be purchased for the upcoming holiday season at this year’s fall luncheon, an annual event hosted by Convent of the Sacred Heart’s Parent’s Association. This season, the event is entitled ‘The Marketplace’ and it will be supporting a theme of a sustainable, bountiful harvest. The luncheon will be held at the Westchester Country Club in Rye New York on November 19.
“I can hardly wait,” Gina Lodolini, co-chairman of The Marketplace said.  “The shopping will be great. Our vendors are eclectic and have beautiful items which can be used for holiday gifts in addition to gourmet extras to spice up our Thanksgiving tables. I am so looking forward to lunch and shop with my CSH family.”
The various vendors attending The Marketplace include Maidstone Jewelry, Fringe Benefits, Sprout Creek Farm, and Aries, to name a few. All of the participants will be selling eco-friendly and sustainable products. Sustainable items imply that they can support themselves indefinitely. The concept of sustainability is a theme that Sacred Heart will not only explore through the fall luncheon. In fact, Sacred Heart has its own garden which Middle School students will learn about and cultivate in their fifth and sixth grade science classes.
“When we teach the girls about sustainable agriculture, what we are trying to teach them is that we can use the earth’s resources to the benefit of mankind by using the nutrients that are naturally found in the soil, using the water from the rain, to grow plentiful and healthy vegetables that can feed our planet,” Ms. Marion Kieltyka, Lower School Science Specialist said.
Similarly, clothes, jewelry and other appliances can be sustainable as well. For example, Alpacatrax is a purveyor of alpaca woolen goods whose goal is to broaden the market of family farms.
“Our farm products speak to individuals who are environmentally conscious and educated about how organically created and processed products can change our overly industrialized world view and facilitate the experience of human connectedness to the planet and other creatures,” Elyse Arnow, co-owner of Alpacatrax said.
A total of 350 guests are expected at the luncheon. The community at large has been invited to attend the shopping venue at the event, free of charge. However, those who pay for a ticket will be served a lunch featuring organic food from Amba Farm in Bedford, New York. They will also be able to view the documentary From Farm to Table, which explores the concept of sustainability. It features Sacred Heart students planting and gathering basil in the school garden, as well as Chef Anthony making fresh pesto sauce with their harvest.
In keeping with the theme of sustainability, tickets are available for purchase online in order to conserve paper.  Turkey from Stone & Thistle Farms, tarts from Maura & Nuccia and centerpieces from Winston Flowers will be available for purchase. In addition, eco-friendly reusable shopping bags will be provided for guests to use as they shop for the perfect items to buy at “The Marketplace.”
 
– Gabrielle Giacomo, Staff Reporter