Food to the People: Free Food Church Boulder Creek and Zayante
By Julie Horner
Beneath a pop-up canopy on a bright Boulder Creek Friday afternoon, Mo Moscoe and his team, Steve Maurer and Steven Shabry, busily attend to a colorful display of fresh produce and packaged foodstuffs that have been gleaned from the Grey Bears Chanticleer Avenue pantry. Friends and neighbors stuff boxes and bags with bunches of produce, leafy greens, broccoli, citrus, onions, potatoes and other seasonal items, dry goods of all kinds, and even packaged sandwiches and other perishable meals that have reached their expiration dates but retain palatable food value. Mo ushers folks through the selections ensuring that nothing goes to waste.
The Grey Bears Healthy Food program feeds Santa Cruz County residents 55 and older who have signed up for weekly food distribution at various locations throughout the county. Tucked under the Boulder Creek Recreation and Parks District 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Mo applied to have the town added to the list of places where leftovers from the program can be safely distributed. The Free Food Church hosted by Randall Lee Hopper near Zayante Creek Market has been salvaging food from Grey Bears and other sources for some time now. Mo thought it would be expeditious to bookend the valley with more free fresh food options.
Mo explained how it works. Because of limited storage capacity, Grey Bears assembles teams from up to 50 local charitable organizations to help them move food items that are coming to expiration to make room for new donations. These teams clean out the refrigerators and tidy up, take out the trash and gather items to compost. At noon the foreman gives the signal, and the teams helping are allowed two members each to load up their trucks with the food that’s still good and bring it to the people. Mo and Stephen Shabry represent BCRPD. “We work pretty hard all morning to get the load,” Mo said. “Basically we’re helping Grey Bears create space for more and healthier foods for the people they serve. There’s no cost to Grey Bears for our labor and they don’t incur a dump fee, it’s a huge cost savings to them. That’s my motivation. And I then get to see my smiling neighbors go, yeah, let me help you take this out of the waste stream and put it into my bloodstream.”
Food Church serves downtown Boulder Creek every Friday starting around 2 pm, rain or shine, Mo said. You’ll see them set up between Jenna Sue’s Cafe and the taqueria. They stay on site until as much of the food as possible is gone, any remaining items are shared with the chickens, goats, and worms. The Free Food Church in Zayante usually opens Fridays at 4pm.
Learn more about the Grey Bears Healthy Food Program: greybears.org
Featured photo: Mo Moscoe at the Free Food Church “Boulder Creek Annex” | Photo by Julie Horner
***
Have community news to share? The team at the San Lorenzo Valley Post welcomes your Santa Cruz Mountains news, story ideas, photos, and letters. Send us an email.
Sign up for our newsletter to stay connected to news and events in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The San Lorenzo Valley Post is your essential guide to life in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We're dedicated to delivering the latest news, events, and stories that matter to our community. From local government to schools, from environmental issues to the arts, we're committed to providing comprehensive and unbiased coverage. We believe in the power of community journalism and strive to be a platform for diverse voices.
