Growing the Table: Organic Food for People in Need • Community

COMMUNITY NEWS Growing the Table

Organic Food for People in Need

Growing the Table, a project of the Office of Kat Taylor, TomKat Educational Ranch, and private philanthropists, is partnering with the Homeless Garden Project and Coke Farm on the Growing the Table initiative, including a pilot program in Santa Cruz County.

Over 26 weeks, this partnership will distribute more than 4,200 boxes of organic food to more than 20 local community organizations.

One organization receiving weekly boxes is Santa Cruz County Behavioral Health, where clients are getting produce at home and at the clinic, plus group cooking lessons.

“We are using the Growing the Table produce to teach our clients meal planning and cooking skills in a group format,” said Susan Fisher, an occupational therapist at the County Behavioral Health.

“Our clients are on very limited budgets, so they often choose more calorie-dense foods (bread, cereal, fast food) versus organic produce,” Fisher said. “On the older adult team, some are completely dependent upon meal programs. The clients have been so grateful to receive the food and it leads to wonderful discussion regarding recipes, nutrition and well-being.”

Growing the Table focuses on the entire food system, not just consumers.

Working with partners like the Homeless Garden Project will help “shift the supply chain to a more equitable, regenerative and resilient economy,” said Kat Taylor.

“Growing the Table” page 15

Community Foundation: $308,450 in Scholarships to 32 Students

By Kevin Heuer

As graduates and their families celebrated with outdoor, socially distant ceremonies, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County honored 32 remarkable students with $308,450 in scholarships established by generous and forwardthinking donors.

“This year’s awardees stood out for their focus on community service and mentorship,” said CEO Susan True. “These are students smart enough to breeze through a subject, but kind enough to look back and pull others up along with them, as a tutor. Some were displaced due to the CZU fires, others had to figure out distance learning without internet at home. Students not only overcame extraordinary challenges, they volunteered hundreds of hours at COVID testing sites, food pantries, blood drives, and after-school programs.”

Two-thirds of the awardees are firstgeneration college students, turning their parents’ and grandparents’ dreams of higher education into a reality.

“From the legacy of Henry Cowell’s family to a donor inspired last summer by the movement for racial equity, this community has a rich history of families giving back by establishing a scholarship fund. It’s an honor to work with the community leaders helping Santa Cruz County be a place where all generations have the opportunity to thrive,” said David Doolin, president of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

Here are the 32 local scholarship recipients:

Alpert Sharing Fund Scholarship: Angel Garcia Lopez, Watsonville High School (Yale)