Over fifty vendors are coming together to raise money for the family of Kristin Smart.
The fundraiser, dubbed Vendor Village Marketplace, will take place on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kennedy Club Fitness in Arroyo Grande.
Joy Danley, the event's organizer, knew she wanted to do something to benefit the Smart family. During the preliminary hearing in the case against Paul and Ruben Flores, which began in July and lasted through Aug. 22, the family was away from their Stockton home.
"We were asking whether anyone had a second home they could stay in," Danley told KSBY, noting the costs of hotel stays. "We just want to show an act of kindness to the Smarts."
She first met Denise Smart at a 5k fun run in 2006, ten years after Kristin's disappearance. Now, Danley has rallied support from several different sources, including Kennedy Club Fitness and Hope Church.
The fundraiser will feature local entrepreneurs and their booths. Each seller paid a booth fee and donated a silent auction item to join the event. 100% of the proceeds from the fees and silent auction will be given to the Smart family, Danley says.
Vendors have the option to keep the proceeds from their booth or to donate them.
Danley plans to give the money to the Smarts to spend to meet whatever needs they have. It could offset housing, gas and food costs, she said, or it could go to the Kristin Smart scholarship fund.
The fundraiser is located at 1299 James Way in Arroyo Grande. Additional free parking is available in the Hope Church parking lot across the street.
Paul and Ruben Flores are scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 20.
