[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19857]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         CALIFORNIA GREY BEARS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2003

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 30th Anniversary of 
an invaluable organization in my local community, the California Grey 
Bears. The Grey Bears is an organization of senior citizens, which 
encourages local seniors to contribute to their community while reaping 
the benefits of their work. The Grey Bears have been an integral force 
in the recycling movement in Santa Cruz County, keeping 11,000 tons of 
material out of landfills each year. They run a local thrift store, 
completely operated by senior volunteers, and each year they distribute 
over one million pounds of food to 2,100 local senior citizens.
  They have instituted an outreach program to collect recyclables from 
businesses in the unincorporated areas of Santa Cruz County, and have 
also started a number of recycling projects at local landfill sites.
  While donating their time and efforts, these seniors strive to combat 
loneliness while promoting self-reliance and prolonged independent 
living. The Grey Bears sponsor a number of gatherings each year, 
ranging from potlucks, and picnics, to Christmas parties. Through these 
events, local seniors can find much needed companionship. Additionally, 
they support other local charities with surplus food. Their commitment 
to Santa Cruz County is that no senior will go hungry.
  The California Grey Bears has continuously worked for the past thirty 
years to effectively empower and ameliorate the lives of local seniors. 
Their accomplishments are truly honorable and the contributions they 
have made to their community are vital to the well being of a large 
number of people in Santa Cruz County.

                          ____________________