We love to hear stories of people in the community who have come up with fresh, new ways to take part in Second Harvest’s Holiday Food & Fund Drive. We recently received an email from Shelly Hernandez, a woman who, along with her husband, Marty, have turned their…
Now there’s a creative way for you to show your support for California Food Banks while driving. The DMV is taking pre-orders for a new California license plate, “Imagine No Hunger”. Proceeds will benefit food banks and hunger relief programs throughout California. The plate features the self-portrait of…
We have some great news to report. The Senate passed a farm bill that protects and strengthens SNAP by a vote of 86-11. This is a bi-partisan victory, and a lot of hard work went into making it happen. To all of our Friends of the Food Bank…
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! – from Emma Lazarus’ sonnet at the base of the Statue of Liberty…
State and local leaders, advocates, and policy makers came together on Friday, May 18, for the 7th Annual CalFresh Forum, which is held in Watsonville each May and is hosted by Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz County Human Services Department. California has the…
Last fall, Sarah Underwood, Second Harvest Food Bank’s Senior Director of Nutrition and Health, paid a visit to a local school, Live Oak Elementary in Santa Cruz, which is part of the Cradle to Career (C2C) initiative. C2C, which is a collaborative effort by parents and local education,…
Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz stands with the California Association of Food Banks and other state and regional organizations in opposition of proposed cuts to the 2018 Farm Bill. These cuts would hurt our clients, local farmers, and our economy, and put poverty-stricken families who depend on…
This year’s recipients share a dedication to community service that began in early childhood. Read on to find out how these Hunger Fighters have taken their commitment to feeding the hungry to...
The Passion for Produce program continues to grow thanks to the tireless efforts of Second Harvest’s nutrition team and its many volunteer Nutrition Ambassadors. The program offers over 300 peer-led classes per year on nutrition, meal preparation, menu planning, physical activity and social support to low-income individuals and families. The…
Although the Central Coast grows a large portion of our nation’s produce, food can be scarce for the people who work the fields and live in the migrant labor camps,...
After fires ravaged wine country earlier this fall, thousands of residents were left homeless and destitute. Though Second Harvest is 130 miles away, we found a way to help by...
The Holiday Food & Fund Drive is off to a flying start thanks to everyone who attended the Annual Kickoff Luncheon on November 2nd at Twin Lakes Church in Aptos. The drive is Second Harvest’s biggest campaign of the year, and 100% of the food and funds it…
People often ask how we get so much healthy produce, and how we manage to turn every dollar into four healthy meals. One of the answers to both questions is Farm to Family. In the old days (before the program started in the late 1990s), farmers’ surplus product…
One of the first things visitors to southern Santa Cruz County notice are the acres upon acres of farmland blanketing the Pajaro Valley. Drop in during the summer and you’ll see farmworkers harvesting and packing little red, pink, and blue gems—strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries—for distribution throughout the…
What is the best way for a hungry student to focus on studying and class activities? It’s a trick question. Studying, learning, and even paying attention are all next to impossible when you’re hungry or lacking in nutrients. That’s why Youth N.O.W., one of Second Harvest’s hundred partner…
