The LAND and its People

July 2016

Serving Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and San Luis Obispo Counties

PV Trustees approve pesticide resolution

Land Trust purchases, protects orchard Staff report

By TODD GUILD Of the Land

WATSONVILLE — The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on May 25 unanimously approved a resolution that could change the way hazardous agricultural chemicals are used around schools.

They also approved a new teacher contract.

The new resolution prompts the district to work with agricultural officials in Monterey County, which recently enacted a fiveday notification period for three PVUSD schools there.

The district will also work with state and local regulators to advocate for buffer zones around PVUSD schools and require a oneweek notification period before they are applied.

Current rules allow a five-day notification for schools within a quarter-mile of chemical application.

In addition, PVUSD will develop ways to notify schools and families about impending chemical applications by neighboring farmers, including bilingual signs and robocalls.

The district will also seek to limit its own use of chemicals such as Roundup weed killer.

The resolution is not legally binding, but supporters called it a first step of a decades-

A customer picks up a bunch of flowers at the weekly Certified Farmer’s Market in downtown Watsonville. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land

Please turn to Page 6

Farmers Market returns to Soledad

Local, Flora Ripley, brings a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs to the market each week.

By KELLIE HICKS Of the Land

SOLEDAD — Many in the city of Soledad are celebrating the return of the Soledad Farmers Market. It signals the coming of summer, the ending of the

school year and return of fresh fruits and vegetables.

As it has in the past, the Soledad Historical Society is sponsoring the Ninth Annual Soledad Farmers Market, located at 137 Soledad St. The Historic Society and the City of Soledad will

close down the 100 block of Soledad St. every Thursday.

Fruits and vegetables of all types are available. As the months change so will the variety. Returning again are many Please turn to Page 4

WATSONVILLE — The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County has protected more than 11,850 acres since it was formed in 1978.

The purchase of the 124-acre Amesti apple orchard May 31 by the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County has assured the property will never be developed.

“We congratulate the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County and the landowners on the creation of these agricultural conservation easements,” said David Bunn, director of the Department of Conservation. “We appreciate the work the Land Trust does to preserve the productive agricultural land and natural beauty of Santa Cruz County.

We’re proud to have helped facilitate preserving this property and look forward to future work with Central Coast land trusts and landowners.”

Amesti Orchard borders the 75-acre Pista apple orchard, which the Land Trust purchased an easement on in 2011.

Together, the two properties make up a 200-acre block of protected farmland adjacent to the Watsonville city limit.

Both orchards grow Newtown Pippin apples, which are the “secret ingredient” to S. Martinelli & Company’s cider.

The Watsonville juice company leases Amesti Orchard.

The orchard is owned by an investor account advised by Switzerland-based UBS Asset Management.

Land Trust Project Director Dan Medeiros said the $400,000 transaction made for a unique experience.

“When we first talk with landowners about easements, there’s usually a hesitancy, a sort of disbelief that easements are good for business,” Medeiros said. “The landowner understood that conservation and business are two sides of the same coin.

We’re talking about sustainability on both fronts.”

The purchase was made possible by $200,000 from the Department of Conservation’s California Farmland Conservancy Program and $200,000 from the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County’s Great Land & Trail Campaign.

The Land Trust protects an additional 2,250 acres of farmland in the Pajaro Valley, 1,750 through conservation easements. The Land Trust also owns and manages the 500-acre Watsonville Slough Farm west of Highway 1, near Pajaro Valley High School.

For information, visit www.

LandTrustSantaCruz.org.

Inside ...

Slough cleanup

2

KC Farmers Market

3

Mission San Antonio

6

Community gardens

5,7

2 The Land - July 2016

Homeless camp cleared along slough Part of habitat restoration

By ERIK CHALHOUB Of the Land

WATSONVILLE — At the corner of the Ohlone Parkway/Harkins Slough Road intersection lies a short path that leads to Struve Slough. Highly visible to drivers and pedestrians, the area attracted a number of homeless encampments and all the issues that are often associated with them, such as fires and drug activity.

Thanks to efforts by the City of Watsonville, Watsonville Wetlands Watch and the California Conservation Corps, the area was cleared of trash and non-native plants recently in an effort to beautify the area of town and address a public safety hazard.

City Councilman Jimmy Dutra said he had been working over a number of months to get the cleanup off the ground after he heard a number of complaints from neighbors and nearby businesses about the “public nuisance.”

“This was really an issue that needed to be addressed,” he said.

During the cleanup, crews found slews of needles, feces and other trash that was

PUBLISHER John Bartlett publisher@register-pajaronian.com

EDITOR Erik Chalhoub editor@register-pajaronian.com

EDITORIAL STAFF Tarmo Hannula, Todd Guild, Samantha Bengtson

California Conservation Corps helps clear brush from Struve Slough near the intersection of Ohlone Parkway and Harkins Slough Road.

Photo by Jimmy Dutra

polluting the area, according to Dutra.

Jonathan Pilch, restoration director of Watsonville Wetlands Watch, said crews cleared the area in the “most environmentally responsible way we can,” removing non-native plants and pruning native ones.

“Sometimes an area can look a bit stark right after clearing,” he said. “It’s going to rebound, and we are going to be

stewarding it over the next year, so native plants can thrive again there.”

Pilch said the clearing is part of an overall watershed management program, which included preserving a buffer along the slough for wildlife.

One of the goals of the clearing is to make it visible and deter unwanted conduct such as drug activity, Dutra said. A similar clearing along the slough

near the Westridge Business Park, which was once home to a number of homeless camps, has so far prevented the homeless from returning, he added.

Those who had been taking up residence near the Ohlone Parkway/Harkins Slough Road intersection were given prior notice of the clearing, Dutra said, as well as information about shelters in town.

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ART AND DESIGN Mike Lyon

The Land is published monthly. All rights reserved, material may not be reprinted without written consent from the publisher. The Land made every effort to maintain the accuracy of information presented in this publication, but assumes no responsibility for errors, changes or omissions. The Land is a division of the Register-Pajaronian and South County Newspapers.

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Lake San Antonio remains in ‘Caretaker Mode’

By SAMANTHA BENGTSON Of the Land

After letters and a public hearing where several South County residents and park workers expressed their concern about a permanent closure to Lake San Antonio, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors decided to keep the lake in it’s “Caretaker Mode.”

Recently, several South County residents appeared at the County Courthouse as the Board of Supervisors decided how to budget its funds for the upcoming fiscal year. The Board of Supervisors reconvened to continue the budget discussion.

“I think there’s a lot of potential out there in terms of working with this group, Friends of San Antonio Lake to help us as we continue weathering the storm,” said

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Due to the drought of recent years, the supervisors had to make the hard decision to close the lake last year after Father’s Day weekend. The lake allowed groups into North Lake San Antonio but did not allow any water vehicles in. One of the offerings of Lake San Antonio is the Equestrian Center which, had the Board of Supervisors permanently close the lake, would also have been shut down.

Supervisor Fernando Armenta agreed that Lake San Antonio should have some sort of opening for camping between Memorial Day and Labor Day in the future. Armenta also asked if it would be possible to open up camping this year on July 1. No word has been given if that will happen but it is being investigated.

Besides its water activities for boating and swimming, Lake San Antonio is also the location for the Lighting in a Bottle arts festival and the Wildflower Triathlon and those can proceed with the current “Caretaker Status.” Dee Dee Fleming from Lighting in a Bottle has already asked the Board of Supervisors to have a fiveyear contract drawn up and has a possible smaller event idea for another part of the year.

The “Caretaker Mode” means that a staff member would stay at the lake and keep the facilities up to minimum health department regulations until the lake is back to the level that would allow for boating and water sports.

The Land - July 2016 3

KC Farmers Market in full swing

The King City Chamber of Commerce Farmers Market has begun and extended its hours to run from 3-7 p.m. Two special visitors traveled all the way from Belgium to see the National Parks and ended up at the Farmers Market in King City. Linda and Ronald Raes speak Dutch, French, German and English. Every year the Raes take a holiday and have already visited 32 states.

Photos by Samantha Bengtson/The Land

4 The Land - July 2016

Soledad Farmers Market

Continued from page 1

Soledad’s Farmers Market is in full swing and will only get better as the season progresses

vendors, some local and some that travel from the other valley. Stackhouse is back with their pluots, peaches and nectarines.

Their seasoned almonds have become a favorite.

Flora Ripley brings her locally-raised fruits and vegetables. Available are a mix of organic and regular fruits and vegetables — peaches, tomatoes, zucchini but also flowers, local honey, certified eggs and baked goods.

An international array of foods will be ready to take home for an easy Thursday

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night dinner. Taco and burrito plates are available at one vendor but it is the hot corn-on-the-cob and baked potato booth that usually has people showing up before the market has officially opened for the day, and lining up down the middle of the street each week.

Many vendors have returned from last year along with some new surprises. Many were surprised to see a vendor this year that travels down from San Leandro to sell Hummus of many types and flavors with fresh pita bread and pita chips. The local

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Girl Scouts had a table selling cookies.

Fresh churros and potato chips are available at one booth. Walk down a little more and a booth has fresh Kettle Korn popping and ready to be taken away, Mexican delicacies and sweets too.

Non-edibles are sold at the market also.

Soaps and scrubs are available along with bird feeders and information booths.

The market is a major fundraiser for the Historical Society, which operates out of the old International Harvester dealership building located in the center

of Soledad Street. The fees from space rental go directly to the Society, which is open during the market for people to visit.

Nonprofits can set up a booth or table for free.

“It (the market) allows us to open the museum and take displays to schools,” said Graig Stephens.

The market will run from 4-8 p.m. every Thursday evening and will run through Oct. 27. The market will begin closing at dusk, as the evenings get darker.

Local entrepreneur wins award Staff report WATSONVILLE — El Pájaro Community Development Corporation (EPCDC) announced that Vicente Quintana of El Nopalito Produce received one of three 2016 Faces of Entrepreneurship awards June 7 in Sacramento at the California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO) annual member meeting.

Quintana is the second EPCDC client to win the award in the past three years as Alfredo Garcia of Watsonville Diesel won the award in 2014.

Quintana started El Nopalito Produce in Watsonville with a 30-pound box of cactus paddles and in just six years turned his kitchen-table business into one with six employees, processing 10,000 pounds a week and distributed in more than 30 markets across the Central Coast and South Bay. Quintana completed EPCDC’s Business Education and Loan Program in early 2013. This threemonth program trains entrepreneurs on how to plan, market and manage a new business. It also offers financial literacy and credit management training, individualized consultations with business development specialists,

assistance in analyzing the feasibility of a new business concept, and access to micro-loan programs (if desired) to help start or improve the business operations.

He moved into the Commercial Kitchen Incubator (CKI) when it opened in the fall of 2013.

“We really took him by the hand and guided him through the process,” said Cesario Ruiz, the CKI’s facility manager. He estimates that Quintana received more than 40 hours of individualized support from EPCDC in the last year.

El Nopalito Produce’s nopales are sourced from a local farm whose owner previously spent much of his time trucking cases of cactus to — and often back from, unsold — area farmer’s markets.

CAMEO comprises about 100 community organizations in California who provide entrepreneurs with small business training, business financing, and technical assistance. The 2016 annual member meeting takes place at the Sacramento Grand Sheraton today.

For information, visit www.microbiz. org.

The Land - July 2016 5

Neighbors celebrate garden

Watsonville City Councilwoman Karina Cervantez Alejo (center) and Assemblyman Luis Alejo (far right) celebrate with residents at a ribbon cutting for the River Park Community Garden on East Front Street. Contributed photo

Staff report WATSONVILLE — Officials and neighborhood leaders celebrated Jardin Comunitario River Park Community Garden on June 5.

Jardin Comunitario River Park is located at 100 E. Front St. in Watsonville.

The celebration included a ribbon cutting to dedicate a newly installed fence to protect the garden. It also observed the

second year of residents growing their own organic food for their families.

A free dinner and beverages were provided.

“The community garden is part of an effort to reduce violence and bring neighbors together,” Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D-Salinas) said. “Our celebration is an occasion for people of the River Park neighborhood to commemorate a project that has been a tremendous success in just one year and has made a difference in

Pesticide Resolution long battle to establish chemical-free “buffer zones” around schools.

Californians for Pesticide Reform CoDirector Mark Weller said it was the first time in seven years that a school board had taken such a step.

“This was an unusual move,” he said.

“This was a group of elected people taking a stance on pesticides in an agriculturedominated area.”

At their May 11 meeting, the trustees heard a similar resolution. Concerned about the way the resolution was written, however, they tabled it.

“We want a resolution that is strong, but we also want a resolution that incorporates everyone’s feedback,” Trustee Leslie DeRose said. “Something that as a board we all feel comfortable with.”

Trustee Willie Yahiro said he liked the resolution because it prompts the district to take direct action.

“I feel that if we just pass resolutions without any action plan then there is no sense in having a resolution,” he said.

Yahiro added that schools should have the flexibility to move shortened days to those when fumigation is occurring.

DeRose said she liked the resolution because it packs “punch.”

“We want to make it clear that this is not just a piece of paper and that we’re not going to make a statement and walk away from it,” she said. “This is going to continue on. We’re looking at ways to continually improve safety.”

Trustee Karen Osmundson said she wanted the resolution to be “stronger.”

“We need a one-mile buffer zone for our students,” she said. “We need to continue to fight for that.”

The issue prompted more than a dozen people to address the board, urging them to pass the resolution.

PVUSD teacher and PVFT Grievance Officer Sarah Henne said the resolution was the culmination of 30 years of work by concerned residents and school employees.

“This is a moment, isn’t it?” she said.

“You can feel this. It is palpable. This is us coming together as a community, as teachers, as classified, as community members, as students, as board members.”

Teachers, families and school officials have long expressed concern that the fumigants and other chemicals used by farmers drift into adjacent schools.

Jenny Dowd, who has been teaching at Ohlone Elementary School for 23 years,

people’s lives.”

Special guests included Watsonville Mayor Felipe Hernandez and representatives from the office of Senator Bill Monning.

Jardin Comunitario River Park got its start in 2015 after Watsonville Mayor Pro Tem Karina Cervantez Alejo, who represents the neighborhood, reached out to Mesa Verde Gardens, a local nonprofit that specializes in establishing community gardens.

The garden sits on a formerly vacant lot that residents complained had become a public safety nuisance. The site, which was formerly a parking lot, consists of 27 raised beds, 4-by-20-feet in size, which were built with the support of Home Depot and Driscoll’s Strawberry Associates.

Each box is capable of yielding an average of 30 pounds of organic produce a month during the growing season.

industry cannot make changes or transition to organic farming without help.

“If we want these farms to be free of dangerous chemicals we must as a society support these initiatives to help offset the cost,” she said.

De Serpa said her proposal called for legislative assistance for farmers and landowners who own properties that border schools and neighborhoods.

That proposal, however, garnered little discussion by the board.

Continued from page 1

said she has noticed increased numbers of students with symptoms such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and asthma.

“I have one girl who missed 58 days because of asthma,” she said.

Dowd said the notification in the resolution can serve as a tool to keep her students safe.

“I feel like we have the right to tell our kids not to come to school – to boycott the school,” she said. “I get so sad when I see my students exposed to this stuff.”

The original resolution was presented soon after Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Eric Lauritzen announced a new set of rules that established a five-day notification when pesticides are going to be sprayed within a quarter-mile of Pajaro Middle, Ohlone Elementary and Hall District Elementary schools.

Santa Cruz County already requires that notification zone.

It includes a website designed to keep residents informed about pesticide applications.

Cesar Lara, executive director of the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, who helped draft those rules, said the PVUSD resolution will work “hand-in-hand” with the Monterey County policy.

Lara added that the work is not done.

“We want more,” he said. “We want a one-mile buffer zone and we want a one-week notification. But this is a step forward.”

The resolution comes as the State of California finalizes a set of regulations addressing pesticide use around schools, said PVFT President Francisco Rodriguez.

The draft regulations are expected in the summer, followed by a six-month public comment period.

Rodriguez said the resolution will serve as a strong statement from the district as it advocated for stricter regulations.

“This expresses to the state that our district is concerned about the use of pesticides,” he said. “The commitment the board has shown will be taken seriously.

“We think it was significant that the board approved this unanimously. They were under a lot of pressure.”

Trustee Kim De Serpa said she felt good that the district made a statement to protect students, families and school employees from agriculture chemicals.

But De Serpa, who said she grew up in an agricultural family, worried that strict regulations could harm farmers financially.

She said that people in the agriculture

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6 The Land - July 2016

Local Visitors Centers promote National Salad Month

By KELLIE HICKS SOLEDAD — Recently, the Soledad Visitors & Gateway Center, in conjunction with the California Welcome Center in Salinas and the Salinas Valley Tourism and Visitors Bureau, celebrated National Salad Month.

Soledad Visitors & Gateway Center (SV&GC) and the California Welcome Center teamed up with several local companies and together they gathered a wide selection of locally-grown produce that highlights what the Salinas Valley grows and ships worldwide.

National Salad Month is a monthlong event held every May to celebrate creative salad recipe ideas and to encourage consumers to eat more leafy greens. National Salad Month was created in May 1992 in response to a Gallup Poll that revealed three out of

four people, at the time, ate a tossed salad at least every other day. While the concept was actually begun by the salad dressing and sauce industry, the leafy greens are the star of the show.

Researchers have found that salad eaters tend to have higher intakes of key nutrients, including vitamins C, E and foliate.

The bag included broccoli, artichokes, and salad mix from local growers.

While at the SV&GC guests were offered a tour of the facilities. The Salinas Valley is known as the Salad Bowl and with good reason. With the wide variety of crops grown in the Salinas Valley, the agricultural industry is one of its largest employers.

The Soledad Visitors & Gateway Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thursday through Sunday and holidays.

It is located at 502 Front St. in Soledad.

Mission San Antonio in need of funds

Mission San Antonio de Padua is located in Jolon and has four fundraisers a year that go toward the daily operation of the historical landmark. It is the third Mission to be built under Junipero Serra. Contributed photo

By SAMANTHA BENGTSON Of the Land

Contributed photo

JOLON — Fundraising efforts for the Campaign for the Preservation of Mission San Antonio de Padua are in jeopardy as the group needs to raise funds quickly to keep the retrofitting project going.

Mission San Antonio is in the midst of building upgrades to meet modern earthquake standards which will increase the safety and guarantee the mission will remain a sacred space for future generations. The Diocese of Monterey that Mission San Antonio is presided over will not allow the Mission to fall into debt over the retrofitting efforts, they have to have cash in hand.

The retrofit of Mission San Antonio de Padua has been broken into five phases beginning with the church as phase one.

Phase two includes the museum, library, staff bedrooms, gift shop, gift shop storage room and offices. Phase two is approaching completion but is taking a little bit longer than its projected July finishing date.

According to Al Parolini, president of the Campaign for the Preservation of Mission San Antonio De Padua, there is a need to raise $300,000 to complete phase two.

“We have an immediate need for approximately $1 million,” said Parolini.

“This immediate need would ensure that we move into phase three with no interruption to the contractor Eagle Construction.”

This past January an anonymous pledge was made of $500,000 that is a matching pledge for every dollar that the Campaign for the Preservation raises.

Phase three is split into two parts, Three A and Three B, expected to begin in July or August and requiring approximately $1.8 million to complete. Three A is the west wing of the retreat center and Three B will be the north wing of the retreat center.

“If we don’t do phase Three A and Three

B, the Retreat Center will have to close,” said Mission Administrator Joan Steele. “If the Retreat Center closes then you might as well shut the whole facility down because the Retreat Center generates the majority of the money that keeps the rest of the place open.”

The Retreat Center is currently open to all religions and is not limited to members of the Catholic faith. Single people, couples, families, soldiers, all religious retreats, educational retreats and many more have begun to take advantage of staying at the Mission and taking in the historical and beautiful scenery in Jolon.

“We’re serving lots of different areas of the population not just people who are interested in the Mission because it’s historic,” said Steele.

The fourth phase will start at the end of the Retreat Center and includes dining rooms, archive rooms, and a kitchen. The fifth phase is to go back into the museum and upgrade the museum to preserve the artifacts better.

Mission San Antonio De Padua has four big fundraisers during the year including the Mission Fiesta, which was held on June 12, Evening in the Garden in November, The Cutting of the Roses and Brunch event in January and Mission Days which just passed in April. All the income generated from these four events is used for the day-to-day operations of the Mission and the Campaign is a separate nonprofit organization that is focused on the retrofitting upgrades.

To donate or pledge funds to the Campaign to Preserve Mission San Antonio de Padua fill out a donation form and send it to the “Campaign for the Preservation of Mission San Antonio de Padua, Post Office Box 450, King City, CA 93930.” Donations are also accepted online at preservemissionsanantonio.org/ index.cfm/index.cfm/.

The Land - July 2016 7

Community celebrates Homeless Garden Project garden completion welcomes Secretary of

By ERIK CHALHOUB Of the Land

WATSONVILLE — What was once a vacant lot that attracted all manner of crime in the Carey-Davis neighborhood is now a vibrant community space.

Neighbors and city leaders celebrated the completion of a community garden located at 37 Davis Ave. on May 26, which is also situated next to a recently-opened satellite expansion of the Watsonville Police Activities League.

City Councilman Jimmy Dutra said he helped move the project along shortly after he was elected, learning that the residents had been planning the garden for a number

of years.

The property was previously occupied by the city’s Neighborhood Services division, but after it moved out more than two years ago, the space was used sporadically as a meeting space for neighbors.

The project received support from businesses such as Home Depot, PG&E, Lakeside Organic Gardens and Dutra Farms.

“Not only are we getting a garden, we are getting a safe place for kids to play,” Dutra said. “It makes for a better environment for everybody.”

In addition to the garden, a mural was recently painted on the site by Monterey Bay Murals and student volunteers from UC Santa Cruz.

Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra welcomes a crowd of about 75 people to the official opening of the Community Garden at the Police Activities League on Davis Avenue.

Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land

California Department of Agriculture

Staff report SANTA CRUZ — Homeless Garden Project welcomes area residents to join in celebrating its first of two annual Sustain Suppers at its Natural Bridges Organic Farm. On Saturday, July 30 from 4-7 p.m., Sustain Supper will feature Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Agriculture, as a keynote speaker.

Mark Lipson, Homeless Garden Project Board Member, has known Ross for more than 15 years.

“I’ve had the honor of working closely with Karen and witnessed her strong dedication to sustainable agriculture and to making healthy food accessible to all, he said. “Homeless Garden Project echoes these values and empowers individuals who are homeless through access to workplace and life skills training.”

Benefiting Homeless Garden Project’s slate of programs, the Sustain Supper Series provides a unique setting for the evening.

“Programs like this are critical as they bring together an essential need-foodand the opportunity for self-betterment that everyone deserves. I want to thank the Homeless Garden Project and its partners in the community for their commitment to this truly altruistic endeavor,” Ross said.

The Sustain Supper Series focuses

on sustainability, eating local organic food prepared by local chefs, listening to talks by renowned speakers and enjoying friendship and community.

“Food and farming have a great power to bring people together, to restore our connection to the natural world and to build competence and confidence in anyone who brings a seed to harvest.

After experiencing the beauty of our farm and enjoying food grown by our trainees, I hope our guests will leave with a deeper understanding of the magic of our programs,” said Homeless Garden Project Executive Director Darrie Ganzhorn.

In addition to hearing from Ross, attendees can sample the culinary creations of guest chefs Gema Cruz of Gabriella Cafe, Sarah LaCasse of Earthbound Farms, Brad Briske of la Balena restaurant in Carmel and Yulanda Santos of the Sierra Mar – Post Ranch Inn. Tickets for the July 30 Sustain Supper benefiting Homeless Garden Project’s programs cost $125 apiece and can be purchased at the Homeless Garden Project store, 110 Cooper St., Ste. 100G, in Santa Cruz, or online at www.store.homelessgardenproject.org.

Event volunteers are needed as well and can register online through the link provided.

SHOP WHERE THE CONTRACTORS & GROWERS DO! People in the Carey/Davis neighborhood can now grow vegetables, fruit and flowers in the numerous wood boxes at the Community Garden. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land

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