Bottom Line: Buying locally keeps dollars in the local economy, creates local jobs, and reduces a variety of environmental impacts.

Why Buy Local?

YOU WILL GET EXCEPTIONAL TASTE AND FRESHNESS. Local food is fresher and tastes better than food shipped long distances from other states or countries. Local farmers can offer produce varieties bred for taste and freshness rather than for shipping and long shelf life.

 

Bottom Line: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) provides organic food grown locally for consumption by shareholders and the local community at large.

Community Supported Agriculture (or CSA) provides organic food grown locally for the consumption of people near-by. This food is usually purchased by “shareholders” or at local markets. CSA’s provide consumers with herbicide- and pesticide-free food. They generally harvest 1-2 times a week. The food is available for pick-up most places while some CSA’s even deliver. CSA’s promote a close relationship between the farmer and the consumer. They strive to grow crops that preserver the agricultural viability of the land. And by eating locally, consumers reduce the carbon impact of their food consumption.

Bottom Line: Two organizations on the Coastside help care for the elderly with an array of services.

It’s been said that you can measure the compassion of a community by the way it cares for its elderly. Two non-profit organizations on the San Mateo Coast address those needs by providing seniors with health care, camaraderie, education and a hot lunch every day.

Bottom Line: There are local, free and low-cost health clinics available that offer a variety of services to meet all healthcare needs.

The San Mateo County Medical Center operates several outpatient clinics throughout San Mateo County that specialize in a range of services, such as STD screening and treatment, HIV or AIDS services, pediatrics and urgent care and much more. The San Mateo Medical Center is dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of all residents of San Mateo County, with an emphasis on education and prevention, and without regard for ability to pay. Their Mobile Health Clinic offers convenient medical care for low-income and homeless people and no one is denied service. If you don't have insurance, their Community Health Advocates will help you find affordable healthcare coverage.

Bottom Line: From COBRA, to private insurance, MediCal and even local clinics, you have healthcare options if you have been laid off.

There are currently 46 million people without health insurance in the United States. That number is continuing to trend upward as people are losing their jobs and their coverage. So, what do you do when you lose your health insurance?

There are several paths you can take. The most commonly known program is COBRA, which mandates that people must be able to retain their insurance coverage for up to 18 months after the end of employment. Under COBRA, the former employee is responsible for paying the entire insurance premium. Most people choose COBRA because it's easy and well-known. You simply complete the form provided by your former employer and pay the cost.

Bottom line: Sonrisas Dental brightened the smiles of over 4,500 patients that might not have otherwise received any dental care which resulted in a 23% decrease in kids coming in with urgent or visible tooth decay.

Julia McKeon created Sonrisas Dental Center out of the need for oral healthcare in southern San Mateo County. From Montera to Pescadero, there are upwards of 7,000 people without access to dental care. Julie knew most of the community consists of nursery, field, or hotel workers whose only option for oral healthcare was a day's worth of travel and missing work, so she created an affordable clinic for oral healthcare and education. In response to her success, the County of San Mateo is providing office space.

Bottom Line: The HEAL Project offers an award-winning program that instills healthy lifestyle habits in elementary school children while inspiring environmental and agricultural awareness through a comprehensive, interactive curriculum.

The HEAL Project began in 2005 at Hatch Elementary School with a grant from Kaiser Permanente. The program has been very successful and well received by students, teachers, parents, school & district administrators and community members alike.

HEAL stands for:Health - Empowering children with the knowledge and experience to make healthy choices about food & fitness.Environment - Understanding cycles, ecosystems and how people effect and are effected by those systems, encouraging personal responsibility and stewardship.

Bottom Line: The Samaritan House provides a wide array of valuable free services and resources to low-income residents of San Mateo County with a focus on preserving dignity and increasing self-sufficiency.

Established in 1974, Samaritan House is a non-profit health and human services organization with over 30 years of experience in providing a broad range of free services and resources to low-income residents in San Mateo County. Each year they provide 9,000 visits in their two free medical clinics, supply more than 400 people with a warm bed, make over 120,000 meals, collect over 400,000 pounds of food from food drives and distribute 40,000 new toys to children.