We’ve had a lot of the usual birthday parties for our 8-year-old son—bowling, the Boardwalk, Blue Ball Park— but nothing topped going to a local museum with Nerf guns locked and loaded to shoot your guests. Think Night at the Museum meets Terminator and you’ve made a lot of boys’ dreams come true. It sounds crazy, right? But the Children’s Museum of Discovery in the Capitola Mall has stretched the boundaries of what a museum can be and has come up with a party like none other. For two hours, kids get to run amok with Nerf blasters. They can bring their own guns or the museum supplies them. It…
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It Is Not Just a Housing Project. It Is a CommUNITY!
Growing up in the housing projects in NYC shaped the very essence of my being. While there were physical barriers present, they were not the focal points of my upbringing. Instead, the essence of my community was rooted in the resilience and unity of its people, transcending the limitations imposed by external circumstances. In the narrative often associated with housing projects, the emphasis tends to be on the seeming challenges—tall buildings, economic disparities, and various barriers that seemingly dictate the destiny of those who call these places home. However, my story diverges from this narrative. It is a tale of a thriving community, where the focus was not on how…
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Kids Learn Good Nutrition is Cool at Cooking Clubs
“Ewww…it’s so green – I don’t want to eat that!” When kids first join one of Second Harvest Food Bank’s Cooking Clubs, this can be a common reaction to the Vegetarian Pesto Pasta recipe. But rather than being an obstacle, it becomes an ideal learning opportunity. “Our Cooking Clubs are all about exposure,” said Vanessa Arizmendi, Wellness and Nutrition Director for Second Harvest Food Bank. “They are designed to introduce young people to nutrition concepts, ingredients, spices, cultural dishes, and other food-related concepts that support a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. We want to open their minds and their taste buds!” Second Harvest’s overall mission is to address the…
