The Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture (CORA) is organizing a forum about alternatives to pesticides. CORA is a grassroots organization of residents living in Pajaro Valley and Monterey Bay, dedicated to creating a more environmentally friendly agriculture system.
Speakers at the forum will discuss how Pajaro Valley can transition to organic farming, and what that will mean for residents and the environment. If you’re passionate about organic produce and alternative methods of farming, attending this forum will be a chance to learn more about how Pajaro Valley can make the switch to organic farming.
The forum will be held on Nov. 14 at 3pm at the Watsonville Community Room (4th Floor of Civic Plaza) and include an online viewing option.
County Covid-19 campaign wins awards
Santa Cruz County’s outreach to communities about vaccination and Covid-19 prevention has won multiple awards.
The county’s Public Health Department worked with San Jose-based communications firm Voler Strategic Advisors to communicate how Covid-19 spreads and vaccine information. The goal was to specifically target the hardest hit communities during the pandemic, like minority communities.
The award specifically recognized the County’s SAVE Lives Santa Cruz County campaign. The campaign’s mission was to reduce the Covid-19 disparities among communities severely impacted by the pandemic.
The awards won include:
- 2021 MarCom Award (Platinum) in the Television Public Service Announcement category
- 2021 Davey Award (Silver) in the Public Service & Activism category
- 2021 Telly Award (Bronze) for Social Impact
Kaiser Permanente gives nearly $2 million
Kaiser Permanente will be giving $1.87 million in grants to 10 local health programs and nonprofits that support mental health programs, housing, food security and access to care.
Some of the grant money will help fund a new behavior health center in Watsonville that will provide substance abuse treatment and other outpatient programs and services. The health care giant awarded $200,000 to support the construction of Encompass Community Services’ Sà Se Puede behavioral health center.
The other organizations and amounts awarded are as follows:
- First 5 Santa Cruz County: $80,000
- Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz: $150,000
- Housing Matters: $500,000
- Community Bridges’ Building Strong Foundations for Families (BSFF): $150,000
- Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County’s South County Family Health Initiative (SCFH): $150,000
- Salud Para La Gente: $150,000
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County: $300,000
- United Way of Santa Cruz County: $100,000
- Dientes Community Dental Care: $85,000
