Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1101565
Over 3000 volunteers countywide make it possible for Second Harvest Food Bank to distribute healthy food to over 55,000 people per month. We are so grateful. Want to Volunteer? www.thefoodbank.org/volunteer or give us a call at 831-498-4115. Volunteers are the heartbeat of Second Harvest D ebra Kennedy has been active- ly volunteer- ing in the Watsonville area since she moved here with her husband, William, 50 years ago. Debra and William began by helping out the homeless through their church, and then later volunteered with the Salvation Army. Knowing first-hand about all of her years of volunteering, Debra was nominated by members of her church. Words such as "faithful, "valu- able", and "selfless" were used to describe her. Every Tuesday night for the past 35 years, Debra has been the captain of a team which provides 75-100 meals for the hungry each week. As she steps down from her leadership role with the Salvation Army, her smile and her dedica- tion will be missed by everyone who has known her through her involvement with the community. Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County is pleased to award Debra Kennedy the 2019 Hun- ger Fighter of the Year Award for her decades of outstanding service and selfless dedication to her community. Dick Peixoto, farmer and proprietor of Lake- side Organic Gardens has been elected 2019's Hunger Fighter of the Year Award for his incredible generos- ity to the community. As a young man, Dick started out as a con- ventional farmer and then later converted to organic farming. Today Lakeside Organic Gardens is the largest family-owned solely organic vegetable farm in the United States. e company's earth- friendly practices keep local honeybees safe and protect the frag- ile ecosystems of the wildlife refuges and wetlands that are on or near Lakeside's land. In addition to the food bank, he has contrib- uted to scholarships and numerous local organizations includ- ing shelters, cancer support networks, and resources for youth and their families. Second Harvest is grateful for his sponsorship, his fi- nancial support, and the hundreds of thousands of pounds of food that he has donated through the years which have provided over 4 million healthy meals for fami- lies, veterans, children, students and seniors in Santa Cruz County. To read more about the 2019 Hunger Fight- ers of the Year, go to: https://www.thefood- bank.org/2019/02/26/ debra-kennedy-dick- peixoto-2019s-hunger- fighters-of-the-year/ Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz elects Hunger Fighters of the Year Thank you volunteers, from the bottom of our hearts! More than 1,500 volunteers, young and old, are more essential to the Aquarium today than ever. Everything they do is for a single purpose: to advance our mission to inspire conservation of the ocean. They share their talents in nearly every area of our operations — engaging visitors, supporting our animal care team, assisting our educators, mentoring teens, diving into exhibits to clean windows and feed Kelp Forest fishes and so much more. Thank you, volunteers, for all you do!