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Giving Thanks by Jackie Tucker, Care From The Heart A year into the pan- demic, our kindly community continues to support and appreci- ate small businesses in their return to normalcy. As one of those locally owned, family-operated businesses, Care From the Heart is grateful to have been a part of such a neighborly and caring community. We are a non-franchised care- giving agency serving the Santa Cruz area for the past 26 years. Local Santa Cruz owners have united forces to keep our doors open, and honor our employees. Care From the Heart expresses gratitude to our families for voting for us as the Best In-Home Care Agency for the Readers Choice Awards - for the second year in a row. Nurse, Jackie Tucker, and firefighter, Jeff Tucker, oversee the daily responsibilities of the agency. We value our experienced and qualified care providers, who practice Standard Safety Precautions in all care settings.\ Let us share with you information about our services: • Daily Care • Dementia Care • Support with Hospice • Veteran Services • Care Management • Assistance with Medi- cation • Placement Assistance • Transportation Services - medical procedures, ap- pointments, and errands • Nutritional Needs • Housekeeping • Pet-friendly • Weekly Nursing Visits • Blood Draw Requests Care From the Heart is the only agency in town that will provide support to you, our client, by a licensed Nurse on a 24-hour basis - at no ad- ditional cost. We care for your health and safety. "Jackie and her team can always be counted on to provide sensitive and effective care even in these trying times." - Thomas Santuc- ci, MD Throughout the COVID-19 months, Care From the Heart has been recognizing colleagues, friends, fam- ily, neighbors, and first responders who have been working tirelessly by delivering "Grati- tude Treats" donations - a box of baked goods. "Thank you for all that you do." If you are interested in sharing these baked goods with your friends and family, please visit this website: www. gratitudetreats.com to arrange a delivery at a very affordable rate. Our office is open 7 days a week for your convenience. Please visit our website to learn more about us: www. carefromtheheart.net or call our office at (831) 476-8316. Continuity and coordination of care is our hallmark. My care team and I will serve you with dignity, deter- mination, and kindness. "We Care." How the Pandemic is Impacting Children and Families By StatePoint More than 2.7 million American children are growing up in grandfam- ilies -- families in which grandparents, other adult family members, or close family friends are raising children. A new report highlights how the pan- demic has amplified their unique challenges, and offers solutions to better serve them. The report, "Facing a Pandemic: Families Living Together During COVID-19 and Thriving Beyond" authored by the non-profit Generations United and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Casey Family Programs, points out that at a time when older adults are being cautioned to keep their distance from children because of the height- ened risk of infection and death from COVID-19, for grandfamilies, that distance is impossible. Advocates point out that these caregivers are the first line of defense for children during the pan- demic, having stepped in when parents cannot raise them for many reasons, including cases where children's parents have died from COVID-19. At the same time, 30 percent of kin caregivers lack an alternative caregiving plan if they should die or become disabled, a trou- bling statistic in the face of the pandemic, which disproportionately affects older adults. While grandfamilies are diverse in geography, income and race, the report finds that caregiv- ers in grandfamilies are disproportionally Black or Native American; nearly half of grandpar- ent caregivers are over age 60; and one in four grandparent caregivers has a disability. These are the same populations that are more likely to be impacted by the pandemic and die as a result. "While we're all im- pacted by COVID-19, grandfamilies, especially, have had tough realities, with limited support systems," says Donna Butts, executive director of Generations United, a non-profit with the mission of improving the lives of children, youth and older people. "State and local child welfare and other agencies must better support them during COVID-19 recov- ery and beyond." Federal, state and local governments recog- nize foster families and provide them with access to resources, but there is little available for grand- families raising children outside of foster care. While Congress included support for grandfam- ilies in the December 2020 COVID-19 relief package, including better access to kinship naviga- tor programs, which help connect families to infor- mation and community support as well as provide some direct help to fam- ilies to meet emergency needs, advocates say this is just a start. "With so many families continuing to strug- gle with impacts from COVID-19, it's critical that state and local child welfare agencies dis- tribute the funds in this package," says Butts. "Congress also needs to ensure families have ongoing financial support so that caregivers can meet the basic needs of children as they live with the long-term impacts of COVID -19." The report also finds that about 19 percent of grandparents responsible for grandchildren live in poverty and 38 percent of grandfamilies are unable to pay or are worried about paying mortgage or rent. Among the solutions to these figures, Genera- tions United is calling for grandfamilies to be spe- cifically named in the next COVID-relief package as an eligible population for financial relief such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). To access the report, visit www.gu.org. To hear grandfamilies discuss the pandemic's impacts, visit everyfamilyforward.org. While the pandemic has heightened the inequities different types of families face, advocates say that sufficient support can help grandfamilies recover and thrive. iStock via Getty Images Plus Delicious and Delightful Carrot Cake Twists for Easter By StatePoint Carrot cake has been an Easter staple for years, so why not serve some fun takes on this popular des- sert for your celebration? With Easter landing on International Carrot Day, April 4, John Kanell, culi- nary expert and founder of Preppy Kitchen, partnered with McCormick spices to create exclusive Easter dessert recipes that put a delightful twist on the classic carrot cake. "Growing up, desserts were always the highlight of Easter, with my mother and grandmother making wonderful carrot cakes from scratch," says John Kanell. Because carrot cake brings back great mem- ories, Kanell wanted to channel that nostalgia, while adding whimsical touches. His resulting creations are fun, fam- ily-friendly and be- yond-delicious. As darling as they are tasty, Carrot Cake Cookies bring all the flavors of carrot cake in a fun, handheld way that allows the whole family to get involved in the kitchen. Big and little kids alike can help frost and decorate! Make room at the dessert table for Carrot Cake Roll with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling – a fluffy spiced cake loaded with carrots and the warm flavor of Mc- Cormick spices. Rolled up with a light and airy lemon and cream cheese filling, it's a sweet way to celebrate the season. "As a nod to my Greek heritage, my family always incorporated lemon into our dessert recipes. Adding it to the cream cheese filling provides a bright com- plement to my slightly sweet and tender Carrot Cake Roll recipe," says Kanell. Kanell is also sharing his top baking tips for success. • Feature carrots front- and-center in desserts. Beyond their beautiful orange color, they add moisture to baked goods. • Too much flour makes for dense, gummy baked goods. Always measure your flour correctly by using a scale or fluffing the flour and sprinkling it into your measuring cup before leveling off. • Don't over-mix your batter. It will activate the gluten in the flour and cause your baked goods to go from ten- der and airy to tough and overly chewy. Mix your dry and wet ingredients until just combined. • Use room tempera- ture butter and cream cheese – left out of the refrigerator for about 30 to 60 minutes. They should show a slight indent when pressed, yet still hold shape. Remember that consis- tency is important when creaming butter with sugar and it should be visibly fluffy and not cling to the side of your mixing bowl. • Stock your spice rack with McCormick pure vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg so it is ready for all your baking needs. Spring is all about nature waking up after a long slum- ber and these essential spices brighten and add warmth to seasonal dishes. • Even if your little ones are too young to make a recipe, they can still help measure, mix and combine ingredients, and of course decorate cakes, cupcakes and cookies. For these exclusive Eas- ter carrot cake-inspired recipes, crafting ideas for kids and kids-at-heart, and everything else you need to complete your Easter celebration, visit mccor- mick.com/easter. With delicious takes on the classic carrot cake, your family can hit the sweet spot between nos- talgia and whimsical fun this Easter. Photo credit John Kanell

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