For the fourth year, Santa Cruz County grocery store Staff of Life Natural Foods Market donated 1,000 pounds of chicken to Second Harvest Food Bank.
The gift was made in partnership with American poultry company Smart Chicken. Through the Smart Chicken Smart Giving Program, the company donates humanely raised, air-chilled chicken to local food banks across the country.
“At Staff of Life, giving back to our community has always been at the heart of what we do,” said co-owner Gary Bascou in a statement. “Being able to provide high-quality food to those in need – especially as our community continues to recover from recent challenges – is incredibly important to us.”
Staff of Life Natural Foods was founded in Santa Cruz in 1969, and remains family-owned and locally operated. It has locations in Santa Cruz, on Soquel Avenue, and in Watsonville, on East Lake Avenue.
Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County was the first food bank in California and the second in the nation when it was established in 1972. It feeds 65,000 people in the county every month. CEO Erica Padilla-Chavez said in a statement that it’s grateful for the donation, especially in light of looming federal funding cuts that could affect the nonprofit organization. “With potential federal budget cuts on the horizon, the need in our community is growing,” she said. “This donation will make a meaningful difference.”
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