Students of all ages hurry to class on Tuesday afternoons at
Arteaga’s Market on 10th Street. Some with their blue work smocks
or black aprons still on, and some with their hair up in nets, they
rush upstairs to finish their work shift in a classroom rather than
in the store down below.
Students of all ages hurry to class on Tuesday afternoons at Arteaga’s Market on 10th Street. Some with their blue work smocks or black aprons still on, and some with their hair up in nets, they rush upstairs to finish their work shift in a classroom rather than in the store down below.
They pour in with excitement, ready and eager to learn, totally engaged. Some are from the meat department, some the bakery, others from accounting or the stock room, but they are all here for the purpose of improving their English speaking, reading and writing skills.
It’s an unusual job benefit, but store owner Lupe Lopez is paying her employees to attend English as a Second Language classes just as if they were still on the job downstairs. It is the perfect arrangement for these hard-working Hispanic employees, many of whom are anxious to improve their English.
“It really meets a need,” Lopez said of the classes, which began Aug. 4. “I was looking for a way to improve their lives. I know they go home so tired after work; many of them would not know where to find an ESL class, some would be afraid to attend. This is convenient for them and it’s a natural fit. It meets my needs too by providing better customer service.”
Lopez relates to the struggles faced by her employees, having come from a small village in Mexico where she grew up without running water or electricity. After immigrating to the U.S., she raised four children of her own as well as adopting her seven nieces and nephews when they were orphaned.
She helped her husband open their first small store in Newark in 1994, the Chavez Meat Market. Putting in incredibly hard work and long hours, the family business expanded. Today, Lopez and her siblings operate 11 family-owned stores, including two stores in Gilroy.
In order to coordinate the ESL classes for employees, she contacted Vision Literacy, a non-profit program that matches volunteer reading tutors with people wanting to improve their reading skills.
“We assess the students to determine what their level of English knowledge is, and then we provide books and curriculum materials for them,” said Louise Shields, associate manager for Vision Literacy in South County.
About 40 students attend ESL classes twice a week in the upstairs offices of the store. Vision Literacy is there to provide tutorial support to English as a second language instructor Mark Whiteaker, who has experience doing this type of teaching in Mexico for corporations who hired him to improve their employees’ English skills.
“They become confident about continuing to learn as their communication skills grow,” Shields said. “The English spills over into home life and becomes a stepping stone to empower them to speak and use English more in their daily lives.”
“The time spent is rewarding for both student and volunteer,” said Connie Moore, a volunteer tutor with Vision Literacy.
As we talked in the deli area of the store, Lopez, a short dynamo of a woman with tremendous drive and energy, said it is her way of giving back.
“We care,” Lopez said. “We run the business like a big family.”
Lopez has organized many community-based, multi-cultural fundraisers, including taco sales, health fairs, and customer appreciation days, with proceeds going to scholarships and local nonprofits, such as St. Joseph’s Family Center.
“You have to give back by being a part of the community where you make your living,” Lopez said. “If more people would get involved in the community. If we had a mentoring program, think what a difference it would make. If each person took a little interest in one child, took them to work once a month, for instance, and showed them the ropes, we wouldn’t have the gang problems. Young people would be working, they would be motivated.”
Lopez took a particular interest in one young man she met on the street. He was down on his luck, no one would hire him, and he had pretty much given up. Until Lopez offered him a job.
“I am so proud of him,” she said, face beaming. “He is one of my hardest workers. He does any job we need done, and he does everything with a smile. He will go far.”
This hire is just a continuation of Lopez’s life philosophy.
I believe in second chances,” she said. “We can each make a difference. If you make one little difference for one person, it makes a difference overall. We are all part of a continuous chain. I tell my children, ‘Make memories. Money comes and goes, but life stays. You gotta make a difference.'”
