Grey Bears

May 03, 2017

Grey Bears is non-profit organization that works with local bakeries, super markets, and farms, to enrich the lives of the elderly. Conceived in 1973 by two UCSC students, Grey Bears started delivering “Brown Bags” of food, gathered from gleaming local farms and gardens, to elderly across Santa Cruz. Today it has grown drastically to impact more of the elderly, and in many different ways.


The mission statement of Grey Bears is to “...improve the health and well being of seniors through food distribution, volunteerism and community participation” (Found at http://www.greybears.org/about/ ). I’d say they’re succeeding, since their signature brown bag program has soared to provide 2.3 million pounds of food to the elderly, which according to their estimates, is equivalent to 1.9 million meals.


One of the reasons that Grey Bears has been able to succeed in supporting the elderly community is through their passion and innovation. To help with costs for their Brown Bag program and  better the environment, they have opened recycling centers. These recycling centers are reported to move 41,000 tons of material through them annually. Perhaps their best innovation, is their store network. They operate a thrift shop, computers and electronics shop, and a bookstore. This network tremendously supports them since they all contribute to about 81,000 transactions annually.


They have a vast network of dedicated volunteers that UCSC students can get involved with. From delivering brown bags, to helping with any of their stores, UCSC students can email Michelle to find the program they want to contribute to most. They have no requirements for volunteers. However, they show their appreciation for their volunteers by providing a hot meal for every three hours of volunteering. Please visit http://www.greybears.org to find even more cool information about this impressive organization.