Excerpt from Santa Cruz Sentinel | by Tara Fatemi Walker To feed vulnerable members of our community, Second Harvest Food Bank recently launched its annual Holiday Food & Fund Drive. Co-chairs Faris ... Read more The post Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County launches holiday drive to nourish community appeared first on Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz ..read more

It’s almost time for Second Harvest Food Bank’s annual fundraising dinner on October 15. With a slate of fabulous local chefs and an extremely worthwhile cause—nourishing our community’s children—tickets are ... Read more The post Food Bank 2024 Chefs’ Dinner: A Celebration to Alleviate Children’s Food Insecurity appeared first on Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz ..read more

Excerpt from Santa Cruz Sentinel | by Tara Fatemi Walker For the second consecutive year, the Santa Cruz/Watsonville area was rated the most expensive metropolitan county for renters in the country, according ... Read more The post The high cost of housing and what it means for our health appeared first on Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz ..read more

Excerpt from Santa Cruz Sentinel  by Tara Fatemi Walker Does it sound impossible to transform kids who hate blueberries into kids who not only like them, but are willing to use them in a recipe? The Second Harvest Food Bank and the Watsonville Public Library recently collaborated to produce this miracle and more. Recipe Remix is a Monday afternoon series of four events at the library, two in June and two in July (the last is July 15). Facilitated by Second Harvest staff, each 90-minute program includes nutrition education for kids and “cooking cart demos” where attendees — which ..read more

Excerpt from Santa Cruz Sentinel  by Tara Fatemi Walker As Pride Month ends for this year, we look to a social service agency, Second Harvest Food Bank, to see how it operates with a principle of inclusion. Cameron Haste, Executive Vice President/COO at Bay Federal Credit Union, became Second Harvest Board Chair in February. He is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. “I understand the importance of seeing oneself represented and the impact that inclusivity can have on a person’s sense of belonging and dignity,” says Haste. “This drives my efforts to ensure that our programs and ser ..read more

Excerpt from Santa Cruz Sentinel  by Tara Fatemi Walker Did you know that CalFresh, also known as EBT/SNAP, is available to a wide range of individuals — including those with and without kids, and those who have previously applied and been denied? And that Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County has staff devoted to helping people apply, at no charge? The Food Bank also hosts an annual forum dedicated to CalFresh. Given that May is CalFresh Awareness month, it’s the perfect time to explore how CalFresh and the Food Bank help nourish the local community. Because of assistance ..read more

Excerpt from Santa Cruz Sentinel  by Tara Fatemi Walker With over 13,000 pounds of fresh produce and dry goods arriving at its Watsonville facility every week for sorting, the proverb “Many hands make light work” is pertinent for the Second Harvest Food Bank. All the items need to be sorted and packed before they are given to community members in need. The Food Bank works to alleviate food insecurity in Santa Cruz County and volunteers play an integral role in accomplishing this goal. “Without volunteers, Second Harvest truly couldn’t function,” says Mary Casey, chief human reso ..read more

Health care includes seeking medical attention when you need it. Equally important is being food-secure and staying healthy in the first place with good nutrition. Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County is combining those two key factors by partnering with Watsonville Community Hospital to bring the new Nourish fresh pantry to the hospital. “At Watsonville Community Hospital, Second Harvest is addressing one of the root causes of food-insecurity in our county,” says Second Harvest CEO Erica Padilla-Chavez. “The Food Bank recognizes the link between food insecurity and health adversities an ..read more

Excerpt from Santa Cruz Sentinel  by Tara Fatemi Walker In today’s culture, people unfortunately — and unrealistically — expect instant gratification and quick results. But cultivating long-term change, including improving inequities in our society, requires patience and hard work. Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County, no stranger to creating programs and services to nourish the local community, recently launched the Farmer Equity Program (FEP). This pioneering project is part of The Food Bank’s newly created sustainability initiative, Land & Sea, which also includes l ..read more

By EDITORIAL BOARD | Santa Cruz Sentinel | PUBLISHED: November 12, 2023 at 3:43 p.m. | UPDATED: November 16, 2023 at 8:26 a.m. We live in a wealthy county, compared to much of the rest of the state. And yet, nearly a quarter of Santa Cruz County residents, some 65,000 people, are receiving food through the ever-present-in-times-of-trouble Second Harvest Food Bank. The juxtaposition is not that difficult to understand with the cost of housing, scarcity of rentals, and incessant inflation that has eroded the purchasing power of many county residents. The Food Bank’s goa ..read more