The 13th Annual Food from the Heart Luncheon

A Valentine-themed luncheon celebrating Meals on Wheels

Friday, February 13 from 11am to 1pm

Chaminade Resort & Spa, Santa Cruz

Celebrate 50 years of Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County at our Valentine’s Day–themed Food from the Heart Luncheon. Join us as we honor a half-century of delivering “More Than a Meal” — nourishment, connection, and compassion — to 1,600 isolated and vulnerable older adults each year.

A beloved community gathering, the Food from the Heart Luncheon on Friday, February 13, 2026 from 11am to 1pm at the Chaminade Resort & Spa celebrates Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County, a program of Community Bridges, now proudly marking 50 years of service.

For five decades, Meals on Wheels has delivered More Than a Meal — ensuring older adults across Santa Cruz County receive not only nutritious food, but also essential human connection, safety checks, and support services. Each year, our program reaches more than 1,600 vulnerable and homebound seniors, helping them live with dignity, independence, and a sense of belonging.

This festive Valentine-themed event brings together local leaders, neighbors, and generous supporters for a heartfelt afternoon featuring romantic silent and live auction items, an exciting raffle, a delicious catered lunch, our annual Sweetheart Award ceremony, and inspiring updates from our program as we celebrate fifty years of impact.

Sponsorship opportunities are described in our sponsor packet here. We also welcome your love-inspired auction item donations. Together, let’s join hearts to deliver nutritious meals and heartfelt companionship to our beloved local seniors who helped shape our community!

Questions? Contact donations@cbridges.org or 831-688-8840 ext. 205.

HAPPENING TOMORROW!Thank you to all the families who attended our last event — and if you missed it, we’d love to see you at this one!🌱 In honor of Positive Parenting Awareness Month, Community Bridges warmly invites families to join us for a FREE Positive Parenting Program & Resources Fair. This family-friendly event is a space to learn, connect, and grow together. Families can meet trusted local agencies, connect with Triple P Parent Educators, and learn about counseling and family support services available in our community.🎉 Enjoy an afternoon filled with fun activities, snacks, games, and prizes for the whole family — all in a welcoming and supportive environment.📍 La Manzana Community Resources📅 Saturday, January 31⏰ 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM🎈 Free and open to all families ... See MoreSee Less
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When a parent is detained, families don’t have time to wait.Rent is due. Kids need food. Stability is at risk.Puentes Para Familias turns community care into immediate action—providing up to $2,500 in emergency aid to families in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties facing sudden crisis due to immigration detention.This program launched with $10,000 in local seed funding, a response to fear felt right here in our region. That early support helped create a trusted, rapid-response fund so families don’t face crisis alone. With this seed funding and other small donations, six local families received immediate help. Those funds are now fully distributed, and additional support is urgently needed so families continue to have a trusted place to turn in moments of crisis.When you give: ✔️ 100% of your donation goes directly to families ✔️ Assistance is capped at $2,500 so support reaches more households ✔️ Aid is prioritized based on urgency and greatest needYour gift provides more than financial help—it delivers dignity, stability, and hope when families need it most.👉 Stand with families today: Give.CommunityBridges.org/Puentes ... See MoreSee Less
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Community Bridges is excited to welcome Erin Carlson-Jones, LCSW, as our new Clinical Director. With more than 20 years of experience in addiction treatment, mental health, crisis response, and community-based care, Erin will lead the growth and strengthening of behavioral health and counseling services through our Family Resource Collective (FRC).The FRC serves more than 10,000 children and families each year across Santa Cruz County, North Monterey County, and San Benito County. Under Erin’s leadership, we’re deepening our commitment to ensuring that cost, insurance status, language, or cultural background never prevent someone from receiving the mental health care they need.Her leadership arrives at a time when access to culturally responsive, trauma-informed care is more important than ever—and we’re grateful to have her guiding this work. To read more about Erin here: bit.ly/ECJ-MentalHealth👉 Learn more about FRC counseling services at communitybridges.org/frc#CommunityBridges #MentalHealthForAll #BehavioralHealth #FamilyResourceCollective #CompassionInAction ... See MoreSee Less
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🎉 Congratulations to Elena Ambrosio for being our January Employee of the Month!Elena is our outstanding Administrative Assistant at Elderday Adult Day Health Care. Time and again, she has demonstrated unwavering dedication to the success of our program. Her strong work ethic, professionalism, and respect for the team set a shining example for us all.Thank you, Elena, for your hard work, support, and for being such an integral part of the Community Bridges family! 🙂🤗 ... See MoreSee Less
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