Santa Cruz County Local News: Community Service & Support


All Local Community Service & Support News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: Working together with many volunteers, this crew feeds 65,000 people in Santa Cruz County every month.
California’s Oldest Food Bank Pays It Forward

For the food-insecure community in Santa Cruz County, Second Harvest Food Bank feeds the need.

Image caption: Kerry Wood, CEO of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, says the organization researches areas of need to help donors direct their contributions.
What Is a Community Foundation?

By channeling funds to a number of nonprofits working on various issues in a given region, community foundations help solve big problems throughout California.

Image caption: There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained

Community service districts can do most anything a city government can do. Here’s how they work and how to start one.

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Celebrating Veterans Every Day

About 1.8 million veterans live in California. Here are some organizations dedicated to serving the needs of those who served America.

Image caption: Stand Down events provide veterans with valuable resources including housing assistance, medical care, and a solid community of support.
Veterans in Need ‘Stand Down’

At hundreds of Stand Down events throughout California, veterans agencies and organizations come together to deliver life’s necessities.

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02/14/2025
Image for display with article titled Wagner Leads Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County as Senior Program Director

Community Bridges recently announced the promotion of Dana Wagner, who has been selected as senior program director for Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County, marking a full-circle moment in her distinguished career in nutrition and community service.

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02/08/2025
Image for display with article titled Navigating Uncertainty: Nonprofits, Politics, and the Road Ahead – Talk of the Bay

On KSQD's Talk of the Bay, Host PK Hattis speaks with Community Bridges' CEO Ray Cancino. Like so many nonprofits across the country, Community Bridges and Cancino were caught up in a world of chaos late last month when President Donald Trump's budget office issued a sweeping order that froze all federal grants and loans. The order was later rescinded, but Cancino will walk us through what the experience was like on the ground and just how high the stakes are moving forward.

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02/07/2025
Image for display with article titled ‘A Game Changer’: More Santa Cruz County Residents Call 24-Hour Mobile Crisis Team

Nearly a decade after two Santa Cruz County residents were killed by law enforcement officers during separate mental health crises, a Mobile Crisis Response Team now offers 24-hour, non-police response to mental health problems by calling 1-800-952-2335.

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01/31/2025
Image for display with article titled Scotts Valley Enthusiastic About Becoming Autistic-Friendly Community

Every year, community organizations appear before Scotts Valley to share what they’ve been doing to bolster the social health of the local landscape and ask for a grant from the City toward their efforts.

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01/31/2025
Image for display with article titled Supervisors Reaffirm Support for LGBTQ+ Community

The Santa Cruz County Supervisors Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution to reaffirm the county’s support for its LGBTQ+ residents and for women.

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01/15/2025
Donate to Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County, which is facing a waitlist for the first time in 50 years in the face of increasing need. Read on for details and learn how you can help.

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01/10/2025
Donate to the list of organizations put together by Lookout Local to support victims of the fires still raging in Southern California.

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01/03/2025
Read on for information about the resignation of Capitola Mayor Yvette Brooks as she begins her new role as CEO of the United Way of Santa Cruz.

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01/02/2025
Read on to learn how you can donate to the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz fund for workers and harbor residents displaced by the devastating events of December 23 in the Santa Cruz Harbor.

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12/26/2024
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS ARE proving that they play a vital role when it comes to public safety in California. The California Reentry Institute, directed by Collette Carroll to help potential parolees, has graduated more than 230 incarcerated individuals in San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.

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12/20/2024
Image for display with article titled Supervisors Approve Ordinance to Support Immigrants

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Tuesday passed a resolution stating the county’s supportive stance on its immigrant residents and reaffirming it as a “sanctuary county.”

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12/19/2024
Image for display with article titled Volunteers Revitalize Iconic Ben Lomond Sign

In November, the town of Ben Lomond witnessed the culmination of a heartfelt community effort as the newly-refurbished “Welcome to Ben Lomond” sign was unveiled and reinstalled on Highway 9, near the entrance of Highlands Park.

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12/12/2024
Image for display with article titled Two Nonprofits Keep Local Cyclists Rolling Along

Nothing really compares to a bike ride along the Santa Cruz coast, wind in your hair, breathing the sea mist, free from the jammed highway with its air and noise pollution. Locals and visitors alike can agree on at least one thing: Santa Cruz County has incredibly diverse scenery, and there’s nothing quite as exhilarating as seeing it under your own pedal power.

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12/12/2024
Image for display with article titled Newly Elected District 5 Supervisor Martinez Steps Down as CEO of Encompass

With the recent election results now clear, the Encompass Community Services Board of Trustees has announced that its CEO, Monica Martinez, will be transitioning from her role at Encompass as she steps into her new position as Santa Cruz County supervisor for District 5.

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12/08/2024
Image for display with article titled Doing Good: Kiwanis International

Founded as a business organization in 1915, the Kiwanis Club now serves millions of children worldwide.

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12/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Giving Locally: Nonprofits Shine a Light

Santa Cruz Gives is the brainchild of Jeanne Howard former publisher of Good Times weekly. It's a local crowdfunding site where people can support many local good deeds and projects in one spot. Guests are Karen Delaney and Leslie Lee of the Volunteer Center, one of the partners in Santa Cruz Gives. The conversation ranged from the role of nonprofits in safety net and arts programs to the huge need they fill in creating a livable community.

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11/29/2024
Image for display with article titled Founder of Mountain Community Resources Dies at 87

The San Lorenzo Valley and the broader Santa Cruz County community are mourning the loss of Mary Hammer, a beloved founder and lifelong advocate for the region. Hammer died Nov. 6 after a brief illness, leaving behind a profound legacy of service, compassion and environmental stewardship.

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11/25/2024
Image for display with article titled Rockin’ Holiday Party Benefits San Lorenzo Valley Families

At Joe’s Bar in Boulder Creek, bartop dancing is strictly prohibited. That is, for everyone but musician Sharon Allen, who, with her band The Dusty Blues, will play a benefit concert on Dec. 14 to raise money for the nonprofit Valley Churches United.

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11/22/2024
Image for display with article titled Core Funding Process Leaves Nonprofits Perplexed, Officials Frustrated

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday cast a split vote to allocate $3.79 million in Collective of Results and Evidence-based (CORE) funds to 28 nonprofits after a contentious discussion that prompted many to question the transparency of the process.