Watsonville Farm Named Food Donor of the Year

A Watsonville farm that donated more than 30 tons of fresh, organic produce to the local food bank was named Second Harvest Food Bank’s Food Donor for the Year Award at the 7th annual Nutrition Summit at Twin Lakes Church on Monday.

Happy Boy Farms, owned and operated by Greg Beccio, is a certified organic farm based in Watsonville. Happy Boy Farms has been a donor to Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County since 2009, donating weekly during the growing season.

“Giving back to the people in need in the community is important to us,” said Danny Lazzarini, farmers market coordinator for Happy Boy Farms. "We make our produce accessible through donations in the communities where we farm and sell at farmers markets. We are privileged to be in this place where we have such abundance. It feels good to share that."

Happy Boy Farms donated nearly 60,000 lbs. of fresh, organic produce to Second Harvest in the 2011-12 fiscal year, including broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, beets, peppers, squash, radishes, tomatoes, salad greens and herbs. Happy Boy Farms’ cumulative donation amount to Second Harvest totals over 220,000 pounds to date.

About Second Harvest Food of Bank Santa Cruz County

Founded in 1972, Second Harvest Food Bank was the first food bank in California and the second in the nation. Our mission is to end hunger and malnutrition by educating and involving the community. The need for food aid in Santa Cruz County is up 38% since 2008. Our network of 200 local agencies and programs feeds 55,000 people in Santa Cruz County every month: half are kids. For every $1 dollar donated, we can provide four meals. Second Harvest is honored to receive a four-star rating from Charity Navigator in recognition of our effective stewardship.