Valley Churches United kicks off 2024 Bucks For Hunger drive
Valley Churches United is kicking off its 34th annual spring Bucks For Hunger fundraising drive with a mailing that community residents have recently received.
Its year-round food pantry is looking forward to the community support that helps fill the pantry shelves and provides assistance to local qualified residents in need.
Valley Churches United is a donor-supported, volunteer-powered nonprofit organization, not a church, which serves low-income households in San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley and Bonny Doon.
“This year the increasing cost of so many essentials, such as housing, utilities, food and gas, has been overwhelming,” said Executive Director Lynn Robinson. “This fundraising drive is an extremely important opportunity for our amazing community to step up and give what they can. We are helping many new clients who never thought they would be in a position to ask for help and we can help lift them back up with the help of this financial support.”
Tax deductible donations may be sent to the Valley Churches United, P.O. Box 367, Ben Lomond, CA 95005, online at vcum.org, or donate in person at 9400 Highway 9 in Ben Lomond, Monday through Friday, from 9am-4pm.
Learn strategies to help control gophers, deer and birds
Gophers, deer and birds can do significant damage in a short period of time, and early spring is a time to focus on the most active vertebrate pests. Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a process residents can use to solve pest problems in their garden while minimizing risks to people and the environment.
The community is invited to join UC Master Gardeners of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties on Saturday, April 7, from 10am-12pm at Quail Hollow County Park, 800 Quail Hollow Road in Felton, for a hands-on demonstration on how to find gopher runs and set traps.
They will cover the basic steps of IPM, which help residents identify the pest and its impact, and learn various control options available to find the least toxic approach.
Visit mbmg.ucanr.edu for information and to register for the free workshop.
Boulder Creek chamber orchestra presents concerts in April
The Concertino Strings, Boulder Creek’s 25-piece string chamber orchestra, presents concerts on Wednesday, April 10, at 11:30am and Saturday, April 13, at 4pm at the Boulder Creek United Methodist Church, 12855 Boulder St., in Boulder Creek.
Vivaldi’s Spring from The Four Seasons and Mozart’s Serenata Notturna KV239 are featured music. Director Joanne Tanner is the violin soloist; co-director is Renata Bratt; and special guest timpanist is Laura McShane.
Admission is free, and donations are welcomed. Concerts are about 40 minutes long, and dress is casual. More information about the orchestra is available at concertinostrings.com.
