Santa Cruz County Food Bank Gets $157,000

Press release from the Central California Alliance for Health: The Central California Alliance for Health (the Alliance), the Medi-Cal managed health care plan for residents of Monterey, Merced and Santa Cruz counties, will donate $600,000 to three local food banks through its newly-established COVID-19 Response Fund. Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County will receive $157,000, Merced County Food Bank will receive $208,000 and the Food Bank of Monterey County will receive $235,000. The donation seeks to provide immediate relief to the surge of Monterey County residents facing hunger due to the pandemic.

“Our members are among the most vulnerable in our communities and are the most likely to go hungry as a result of this pandemic,” said Alliance CEO Stephanie Sonnenshine. “These food banks serve a critical role in addressing our members’ food insecurity, a key factor in determining overall health. The food banks are challenged to meet the growing needs caused by this pandemic as more and more people are now struggling to feed their families. The Alliance’s COVID-19 Response Fund will provide critical support to our community partners serving Alliance members. We are all in this together.”

The Alliance Board of Directors approved an allocation of $1 million dollars to establish the COVID-19 Response Fund as part of its Medi-Cal Capacity Grant Program (MCGP). The remaining COVID-19 Response fund monies will be awarded to community-based organizations working to meet the evolving needs of Alliance members during the pandemic, such as meal delivery services, access to diapers, or for personal protective equipment for food and homeless service providers.

This press release was produced by Central California Alliance for Health. The views expressed here are the author's own.