2 minute read
In The Green
Cannabis Dollars Keep Essential Nonprofits Operating
By The Rev. Mary Moreno-Richardson
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As president of the board of Santa Barbara North County Rape Crisis Center & Child Protection Center, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the cannabis industry of Santa Barbara County for their generosity. More than two years ago at our last Winter Nights Gala, KopSun’s and Hacienda’s support helped our event by purchasing dinner tables and more. The event was successful and we are grateful for your help. We can’t do the work we do without your generosity.
I surely can vouch for how difficult it can be to receive funding in North County. This has always been an issue. Most programs in Santa Barbara seem to be eagerly funded, whereas North County seems to still be the forgotten stepchild. North County’s needs continue to grow. From serving the increasing numbers of human trafficking survivors to the immediate need for more office space for Rape Crisis Center & Child Protection Center employees. We need to hire more employees to fill positions, but our office is just too small. We are the current owners of our administrative building in Lompoc and hope
“to leverage that on the purchase of a new space. Once that takes place, more staff can be added, new programs developed, and current programs strengthened. “The Center has been providing services to survivors of sexual assault in northern Santa Barbara County since 1974. Staff provide prevention programming in schools, mandated reporter trainings to agencies that work with children, and in-service trainings to law enforcement. Follow up referrals, counseling and case management are provided in both English and Spanish; all services are free of charge,” reports Ann McCarty, executive director. And that is just the tip of the iceberg! We provide much more but space doesn’t allow for details. Since the legalization of cannabis, it’s been truly impressive to see the industry step in to help and serve our community. Not only has the tax resources proven favorable, but cannabis owners like Graham Farrar of Glass House Farms, have helped other nonprofits stay in operation. His generosity includes vast donations to community programs like Girls Inc., Freedom Warming Centers for the non-housed community, and other programs in Santa Barbara County that may have suffered unpreventable cutbacks. Thank you! We are so grateful.
We are very excited to be in the process of creating a committee of women in the cannabis industry who have a desire to be involved with the Santa Barbara North County Rape Crisis Center & Child Protection Center and explore different ideas in supporting all our work in North County. We invite others to join us. We can do this together. For more information on this committee, email larevdamary@comcast.net. Please write New Committee in the subject line.
To learn more about the North County Rape Crisis Center & Child Protection Center visit sbcountyrapecrisis.org. The 24-hour crisis hotline number is (805) 736-7273.
