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Grey Bears Sustainably Feeding Senior Bodies, Minds and Souls.

Healthy Food Program

Supporting 8,000+ seniors and community members every month with nourishment and social connection.

For over 50 years, the Grey Bears Healthy Food Program has been working to sustainably nourish Santa Cruz County Seniors: body, mind, and soul. From the early days of gleaning produce from local agricultural fields and neighbor’s yards, Grey Bears now partners with 25+ food producers, including farms, grocery stores, and delis, as well as local community members to access food destined for the landfill and redirect it to seniors’ plates and pantries.

Our 3 Pillar Program

Healthy Food Delivery

Residents of Santa Cruz County age 55 and older are eligible to sign up to receive a weekly grocery bag filled with fresh produce and healthy staples.

Sign up here

Onsite Food Distribution

Open Monday-Friday at 11:00 AM for seniors and the community at no cost, offering fresh produce, proteins, baked goods and more.

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Grey Bears Lunch

Open Monday-Friday at 11:25 AM, Grey Bears Lunch offers a meaningful way for seniors and community members to convene around a warm meal made with love.

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Grey Bears Grocery
Rescue and Gleaning

Grey Bears Healthy Food Program is a homegrown solution for sustainable living by providing nourishment for local seniors while reducing food waste. Grey Bears practices both traditional and modern-day grocery store gleaning, rescuing short-dated and imperfect foods to create meals and stock our onsite food market, instead of letting the food go to waste. Volunteer drivers regularly visit grocery stores across the county to collect produce and vegetables and quickly distribute them to seniors and community members who need it most.

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Grey Bears Grocery
Rescue and Gleaning

Grey Bears’ gleaning roots run deep. Since our inception, we have been harvesting fruits and vegetables from people’s gardens to nourish our local Santa Cruz seniors. In the early days, we even chartered buses full of seniors to glean directly from farms, bringing fresh produce back to share with the community.
Today, that tradition continues. Along with on-farm and garden gleaning, we now partner with 25 local grocery stores to ensure good food stays out of landfills and ends up in the bellies of those who need it most.

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Bear Hugs

The difference a lended paw from Grey Bears makes.

“Grey Bears is a blessing. To have such wonderful people willing to help in this way means everything. I’m not able to drive at the moment, so having a dependable delivery of healthy food is essential for me right now. Please know that us bag recipients are so thankful to all the volunteers, donors, and supporters who make this service possible.”
—Cindy, Healthy Food Bag Delivery Member

Grey bears logo on car

“We come often because I am disabled and my husband isn’t doing very well either. More than anything we get food that we need, but just being here also feels like therapy. My daughter brings us here… I lost my son four years ago and because of that we need the outing, the commute out of the house and the food. Coming to Grey Bears to be with all who are so very kind has given us hope.”
—Angelina, Food Distribution Participant

Support Local Seniors

It takes a village: the work Grey Bears does is only made possible through the support of community members like you. We invite you to join us in creating a space where every senior can belong.

Ways to Support
Support seniors

Grey Bears is growing, and we need your help!

The new Kristina Mailliard Center for Healthy Seniors, located next door to our existing operations at 2710 Chanticleer Avenue, will provide Santa Cruz County's rising senior population with access to vital nourishment and social connection. Help us build a space for every senior to belong.

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