The Monroeville Lions Club is getting a little help from some friends.

Students from Gateway and Plum Senior high schools are volunteering to assist with the Saturday morning farmers’ market that the club has been running for 40 years.

Plum junior Lauren Price started lending a hand last year at the suggestion of a club member with whom she is acquainted.

“He asked me to get some teens together to come out and volunteer. So I made a flier and made a Google form for kids to fill out,” Lauren said.

She was joined on May 21, the third market date for 2022 — and an unseasonably sweltering morning, at that — by Plum classmate Audrey Bell and three students in Gateway’s service-oriented Interact Club: Marshall Acres, Lucas Hunter and Tristan Pastor.

“It’s something fun we can do on Saturday instead of sleeping in,” Marshall said. “Anywhere we can help.”

The students arrived prior to the market’s 9 o’clock start time, placing signs around Monroeville Community Park to guide visitors, and then took care of other sundry tasks for the event’s three-hour duration.

“We help people bring things to their cars, and they’re very appreciative,” Lauren said. “I like giving back to my community.”

Lions club members had a similar notion in 1982, when they came up with the idea to provide a venue for the Monroeville community to purchase locally grown produce. Led by Alek Wozniak, the members at first held the farmers’ market in the Gateway High School parking lot.

Having outgrown the original location, the market moved to Monroeville Community Park in 2011.

This year, a dozen and a half vendors are featured regularly. And on May 21, those in attendance were treated to traditional Celtic and Americana music by the Mountains Meet the Moon Band, led by Penn Hills residents Tom and Chris Hong.

Along with hosting the market, the Monroeville Lions Club has members on hand to continue the international organization’s long-standing sale of brooms to benefit charities. Also, the club collects used eyeglasses and hearing aids to be recycled.

To raise further funds on behalf of the vision-impaired and the community at large, the Monroeville Lions Foundation is hosting the 23rd annual Dr. Angelo P. DiPiazza Memorial Charity Golf Outing on Aug. 20 at Manor Valley Golf Course in Penn Township. More information is available from Sean Raynak at 412-736-9804 or sraynak@gmail.com.

As for the club, meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at Palmieri’s Restaurant, 951 Old Frankstown Road, Plum. Visit e-clubhouse.org/sites/monroevillepa.

The Monroeville Lions Farmers Market is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays through Nov. 19 at Monroeville Community Park, 2399 Tillbrook Road. Information about vendors and parking is at www.monroevillefarmersmarket.com.

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