Grey Bears, a nonprofit serving older Santa Cruz County adults through healthy food distributions and community programs, is partnering with Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust (MBFT) as a new member of its Community Seafood Program. This collaboration will bring sustainably caught, high-quality seafood and hot meal offerings to support Grey Bears’ food distributions, bringing new, fresh and local food options to the tables of Santa Cruz County seniors who are part of Grey Bears’ Healthy Food Program.
Through this program, Santa Cruz County residents age 55 and up are eligible to sign up to receive a weekly grocery bag filled with fresh produce and healthy staples. Deliveries are sent near participants’ homes or workplaces, with home deliveries available for older adults who are homebound. The annual cost is $45, $90 for two years, $135 for three years and $450 for a lifetime membership. Grey Bears offers payment assistance for those with financial hardship. For more information, contact and signups details, click here.
Since its launch in November 2020, the Monterey Bay Community Seafood Program has purchased nearly 27,000 pounds of local, sustainably harvested seafood and has donated over 71,200 seafood meals throughout Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. “Local suppliers are paid a fair price for their catch, supporting the seafood economy, and we are actively providing nutritious seafood protein to the most vulnerable in our communities,” Melissa Mahoney, executive director of MBFT, said in a media release.
Grey Bears prepares over 63,000 meals annually for Santa Cruz seniors, who can be especially vulnerable to food insecurity due to health challenges, fixed incomes and transportation barriers. Last year, its on-site food distribution programs, powered through its grocery rescue programs, diverted 1.9 million pounds of food from local landfills to older adults’ plates and pantries.
“We are extremely grateful to connect the local commercial fisherman with local seniors and others facing food insecurity,” said Jennifer Merchant, Grey Bears executive director.
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