Grey Bears at a glance:
- Pounds of fresh produce and healthy staples distributed each year to seniors and local charities that serve seniors through the Healthy Food for Seniors program: 2.3 million
- How many meals that provides: 1,916,550
- Favorite foods in bags from member survey: spinach, artichokes, strawberries, apples
- Number of healthy hot meals served to seniors, volunteers, and staff annually: 25,000
- Tons of material diverted through our Recycling Centers each year: 7,200
- Number of annual transactions in our Thrift Store, Computer Electronics, Bookstore, Hardware Store, Amazon.com and eBay stores: 81,000
- Number of volunteers in 2017: 752
- Annual volunteer hours: 84,525
- Value in dollars: $2,282,175
- How volunteers help: quality control, assembly and delivery of weekly bags of groceries; receiving, repairing, pricing and cashiering in the thrift stores; listing books, electronics and other items for sale online; composting; office and admin support; teaching classes, fix-it coaching at Repair Cafes and helping with events. Please volunteer now by clicking here to complete our simple online form.
In 2018, Grey Bears was named Best Nonprofit by readers of Good Times Weekly, received a Swellie Award by readers of Santa Cruz Waves Magazine, and a Reader’s Choice runner up by readers of the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
We were named the Aptos Chamber of Commerce 2015 Organization of the year, and received a Be the Difference award from the Volunteer Center in 2011. Here’s a video created on Grey Bears by the Aptos Chamber for its Annual Awards Dinner.
Grey Bears is big on reusing, repairing and repurposing donated items to help preserve our environment and divert as much as possible from the waste stream. We host quarterly Repair Cafes, including the very first fix-it clinic where repair coaches help the public learn how to disassemble, diagnose and transform broken electronics, appliances, toys, clothing, bikes and more into working items. Join us at the next Repair Cafe on July 21, 2018.
For a staff directory click here.
Grey Bears Board of Directors
Grey Bears
2710 Chanticleer Ave
Santa Cruz CA 95065
831.479.1055 info@greybears.org
Grey Bears is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Corporation, FEIN#: 94-2298681