Santa Cruz County Community Service & Support Articles

Before the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, roughly 18% of Santa Cruz County residents lacked health insurance. After it was signed into law, that number dropped to 6%.

Members of E. Clampus Vitus Branciforte Chapter 1797 helped out at Junction Park in Boulder Creek this past winter by putting up a safety fence. “Your efforts in enhancing safety and assisting our community are truly appreciated,” Boulder Creek Recreation …

The Mesa Village community teamed up with Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW), Pitch-In Santa Cruz County and 4th District Supervisor Felipe Hernandez on March 29 to add new life to Mesa Village County Park. 

Donations from local agencies have led to the completion of a new outdoor dining area at the Salvation Army in Watsonville.

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz is facing major problems serving its clientele after getting hit with cuts by the Trump Administration, according to CEO Erica Padilla-Chavez.

On March 12, Governor Gavin Newsom and Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement (GO-Serve) Director Josh Fryday announced California is seeking 10,000 people to join the California Service Corps.

Where do you go in this day and age if you are trans or queer where you will be accepted and not harassed? SubRosa, that's where. UCSC intern Maury Burnette-Cavoto takes us there for this portrait of an anarchist event …

Staff of Life Natural Foods teamed up with Smart Chicken Wednesday to donate 2,639 pounds of high-quality chicken to Second Harvest Food Bank through the Smart

In Watsonville, we see the human cost of California's housing crisis every day. As homelessness rises, we face a critical choice: continue with inadequate approaches or embrace innovative solutions reflecting our values of compassion and dignity for all.

Demonstrators protest immigration enforcement changes at the Town Clock in Santa Cruz on Feb. 3. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local)
Key takeaways

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.

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 …

A Mobile Crisis Response Team offers 24-hour, non-police response to mental health crises in Santa Cruz County. (County of Santa Cruz)
SANTA CRUZ >> Nearly a decade after two Santa Cruz County residents were killed by law enforcement officers during …

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.

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

In the year 2025, cities and towns across the country will be planning and executing some fairly audacious infrastructure projects. The State of New York plans to expand the Hudson Tunnel along the northeast corridor; Interstate 5 along the West …

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.”

by Blake Holiday

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 …

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 …