Grey Bears of Santa Cruz

People in Santa Cruz have lots of things to feel proud of, such as Hawaiian-like scenery with the lush. green Santa Cruz mountains, the blue ocean, mild weather, progressive politics, and relatively controlled population growth. There is one more unparalleled achievement for them to have great pride in: The Grey Bears of Santa Cruz that have contributed significantly to the well-being of the county's environmental protection as well as to their aging population. In fact, it is a one of a kind organization in this country.

At 12:40 pm, Paul and I drove to pick up our scheduled holiday dinner. Grey Bears organizes two annual events, Holiday Dinner and Harvest Picnic. Owing to Covid-19 this year, The sit-in Holiday Dinner has been changed to two Sunday drive-through pickups on December 6 and 13 to serve its 4300 Santa Cruz senior members. 

As it rained heavily around noon, we were a little bit worried about the waiting time. But our worry was unwarranted, for half a dozen volunteers made an almost 180 degree circle to direct the incoming traffic all the way from Chanticleer Avenue to the food facility. They were all in long raincoats, with reindeer horns on their heads, courteously waving our cars forward. There were about half-dozen people greeting us at the facility, checking our names and delivering the dinner trays to each car. As a special treat to end our pickup, a cheerful young boy volunteer waved us Happy Holidays.

Courtesy of Titangos Photography 

Both Paul and I were deeply impressed with today's unique Holiday Dinner pickup. The whole event was well-organized and executed. There was hardly any waiting in the queue, since a schedule had been in place for the various ten-minute pickup slots. Volunteers and senior customers alike were happy and festive, despite the driving rain and hovering pandemic. 

Grey Bears has truly made our holiday season special. I could not help but wonder about its origin, even though we have been its members for years. Grey Bears of Santa Cruz was founded in 1973 by two visionaries, Kristina Milliard and her boyfriend Gary Danny to support the undernourished elderly poor in Santa Cruz, with fruits and vegetables from their home gardens, which soon spread like a wild fire. In 1974, the first Grey Bears Holiday Dinner was hosted at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. In 1981, the first Harvest Picnic took place at Harvey West Park. As early as in 1975, there were 1200 Grey Bears members, with $1 membership which has now increased to $30 for its 4300 members. 

According to Our Mission-Who We Are, Grey Bears has delivered 2.3 million pound of food, provided over 1,916.550 meals, and served 40,000 hot meals from its kitchen. How can a nonprofit organization with modest membership fees sustain such an impressive contribution, and stay even stronger five decades and more later? There are several winning elements to the sustainability of Grey Bears business success. 

First of all, Grey Bears is savvy at business transactions, especially in its real estate purchases. Unlike Santa Cruz County Senior Center which still pays exorbitant rent to the Live Oak School District, Grey Bears purchased its first lot at 2710 Chanticleer Avenue in 1985, and adjacent lot at 2650 Chanticleer in 1992, the third lot at 2620 Chanticleer in 1996, and the fourth lot of 10,000 square foot at 2608 Chanticleer in 2008 as a food distribution facility. With ample space, it was able to expand its operations, such as the contract with the county to set up a public recycling center in 2000, and e-waste recycling in 2002, and to spin off a computer lab and store. In addition, it has started a composting program with the county since 2006.

Secondly, Grey Bears is a shining example at utilizing volunteers. In 2018-2019 alone, it had 810 volunteers; with an annual average of 81,460 volunteering hours. Unlike some governmental agencies which hire highly paid positions to supervise volunteers, Grey Bears relies on talented and experienced volunteers for administrating all operating posts, such as food assembly and delivery, teaching classes, manning both physical and online stores, repairing electronics, composting, office and data entry, etc.

Thirdly but not lastly, Grey Bears knows how to recycle and turn donations into value-added products at its thrift and electronic stores. Instead of dreading donations as other some public agencies do, it redistributes the return profits back to circulation to support and sustain itself.