Pie for the People – Santa Cruz will hold a community pie potluck to benefit National Alliance on Mental Illness Santa Cruz County (NAMISCC) on Sunday, May 22, 2022 from 1:00-3:00 PM at the Homeless Garden Project Farm on the westside of Santa Cruz (Shaffer Road at Delaware Ave).
Bring a $5+ donation per person, a sweet or savory vegetarian pie, and your own plate, utensils, napkin and mug or cup. (Bringing a pie is not required, but an added donation of a few dollars is suggested.) This is a family friendly event.
NAMISCC offers connection,support, education, comfort, and understanding to anyone affected by mental illness and the wider community. Their programs include bilingual (English and Spanish) education and support to those affected by mental illness and their care providers. NAMISCC partners with middle and high schools to teach youth about mental health and bust the stigma that can prevent youth from seeking help. They also advocate for solutions such as suicide prevention strategies, preventative care, including for youth and for those with the first symptoms of mental illness and support for activities that stop jails from becoming an alternative to mental health treatment.
Therese Adams, Executive Director of NAMISCC says, “May is Mental Health Awareness month and mental health statistics have been in the news everywhere. It’s clear that mental illness is a public health crisis and that the international and national statistics are reflected here at home in Santa Cruz County across all races, classes, and genders. We are 
excited to join in community with Pie for the People to help raise awareness around mental illness and most importantly, let people know they aren’t alone and that we are here, ready to support you.”
Pie for the People-Santa Cruz is an intergenerational group of DIY community activists that host fundraising pie potlucks to support local nonprofits. Since January of 2015, Pie for the People-Santa Cruz has raised over $16,000 to feed the homeless, support women with cancer, keep a community garden going, and buy supplies for a tutoring center/food bank. They host fun, family friendly, community building events focused on pie.
Judit Camacho, a Pie for the People organizer says, “Pie for the People is deeply grateful for the work that NAMI does in our community. NAMI is an invaluable resource for families experiencing mental illness. The support groups and volunteers facilitators build communities of care, knowledge, and hope.”
Another pie organizer Jenny Kurzweil says, “This is the first community pie potluck since September 2019 and we are thrilled to safely join together again outside. We have so much healing to do as a community as the ongoing stress of the pandemic, the political climate, and a rapidly changing environment can be totally overwhelming. At Pie for the People – Santa Cruz we maintain a hyper-local sense of activism and most importantly, joy. We are working to create change here at home with the hope that our actions will ripple outward…one pie at a time.”
Note on COVID safety: This event is outdoors. Volunteers serving pie will be vaccinated, boosted & masked. To protect our young children, elders & immunocompromised friends, we request that all attendees be vaccinated & boosted.
NAMISCC event page on Facebook
