second harvest food bank staff of life smart chicken
Richelle Noroyan (right), of the Second Harvest Second Harvest Food Bank, receives a large check alongside John Gong (center), butcher/manager at Staff of Life, from Eric Gorham, manager of Smart Chicken, Wednesday. Photo: Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian

WATSONVILLE—Second Harvest Food Bank’s efforts to aid Pajaro flood victims received a boost Wednesday when Staff of Life Natural Foods and Smart Chicken donated more than four tons of chicken. 

With the Smart Giving Program, Staff of Life Natural Foods and Smart Chicken donated over 8,200 pounds of chicken to the food bank in Watsonville.

Thus far, Second Harvest has arranged for serving 1,485 hot meals to those being sheltered in area hotels and 2,450 hot meals on a street by street level, said Richelle Noroyan, Corporate and Community Relations Director for Second Harvest.

“Second Harvest Food Bank is thrilled to be the beneficiary of Staff of Life Natural Foods and Smart Chicken’s very large donation. With over 8,200 pounds, that adds up to 6,520 meals for our community,” Noroyan said. “With everything that is happening in our area, we are happy to help the Pajaro community as they move forward in their recovery.” 

“Staff of Life is proud to feature Smart Chicken in our Santa Cruz and Watsonville stores,” said Gary Bascou, co-owner of Staff of Life. “And to be able to give back to the community and the recovery efforts in Pajaro is extremely important to us. Our local family-owned store has been giving back to the community for over 54 years.”

Previous articleFEMA aid available for Pajaro flood victims
Next articleOfficials hope to expedite plans to repair Pajaro levee
Tarmo Hannula has been the lead photographer with The Pajaronian newspaper in Watsonville since 1997. More recently Good Times & Press Banner. He also reports on a wide range of topics, including police, fire, environment, schools, the arts and events. A fifth generation Californian, Tarmo was born in the Mother Lode of the Sierra (Columbia) and has lived in Santa Cruz County since the late 1970s. He earned a BA from UC Santa Cruz and has traveled to 33 countries.

1 COMMENT

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here