Since 2009, the Organic Soup Kitchen has been the only organization in Santa Barbara County to deliver nutrient-rich soup meals to low-income families and homeless individuals. What started as a homespun effort to provide healthy meals to the homeless in local parks, has gradually become a successful, self-sustaining enterprise with its own kitchen that works […]
As my docent Courthouse tour continues, we have exited the Mural Room and walked into the Lobby just outside the door on the second floor. We see the nine-by-twelve-foot painting of the landing of Juan Cabrillo which Dan Groesbeck had painted in 1924 for County National Bank. It was influential in his being chosen to […]
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These days, Geoff Green‘s bed is more than just a place to sleep. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s now his office. Since he also sleeps there, he spends about 20 hours a day in his bedroom, exiting the cave only to eat or spend time with his family. His life is consumed by not only […]
An Italian mayor, a Montecito philanthropist, and love in the time of coronavirus Everyone loves a love story, maybe even more so in these difficult times. I know I do, and by providence, my husband and I were able to be in the middle of this one. The story started with longtime Montecito resident Marjorie […]
With her captivating and confident demeanor, Chef Nancy Weiss says she often gets confused for a New Yorker. In reality, her love affair with food began a little closer to the Santa Barbara area where she would eventually cultivate her culinary career. Growing up in Los Angeles, Weiss became infatuated with the kitchen at age […]
While we’re waiting for this pandemic to subside it might be fun to learn a bit about one of our five National Historic Landmarks, the County Courthouse. The others are the Mission, Casa del Herrero, the Raphael Gonzales Adobe, and the Santa Barbara Club. As I write this the Courthouse has a lock on the […]
Homelessness, substance abuse, and mental illness have long been identified and discussed as issues affecting the local community, along with the stigmas that still surround them. While an individual can be affected by one of these issues, often times a combination, or even all of these factors, contribute to an individual’s condition. Sanctuary Centers seeks […]
Anyone who knew Michael Doane knew that he was a man of a million stories. He was a prolific talker who could bend your ear for hours about politics, literature, sports, business, the weather – the topic rarely mattered. At dinner he would hold forth tirelessly and Mom would kick him under the table begging […]
The wildest place in town has to be the Santa Barbara Zoo and certainly a child’s favorite. When I moved here in the ‘70s I thought the Child estate related to children because the Zoo was there. I soon learned it had once been Lillian Child’s property. When she passed away it eventually became a […]
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Though you can’t hug your friends and extended family, doesn’t mean you can’t dance with them. Just ask sisters-in-law Vicky Harbison and Jill Dyruff who co-celebrated birthdays on May 16. (Vicky’s is the 16th while Jill’s is the 17th.) Thanks to Vicky’s daughter Sarah, a socially-distanced tailgate dinner was arranged in her grandmother’s driveway on […]
It was announced earlier this week that after a second round of disbursements to hourly workers in Montecito, the 93108Fund will go back into hibernation, now that businesses have been permitted by the State and County to reopen their doors. The 93108Fund, a non-profit started after the 2018 debris flow, distributed a first round of […]
How does a grassroots initiative go from start-up to raising more than $5 million in just two years? This is the heartening local story of the 805 Undocufund. It’s worth knowing about, because it is inspiring to anyone who cares about a cause and who wonders what’s possible. The 805 Undocufund began in the shadow […]
On Tuesday, June 2, fourth graders at Laguna Blanca Lower School held their Citizenship Event via Zoom. Usually held as a special breakfast on campus, the event is a culmination of curriculum taught in the fourth grade, focusing on good citizenship and leadership. Each year, students choose members of the community who exhibit the Six […]
Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is the only nonprofit organization in our community that provides financial, educational, and emotional support to local families who have a child with cancer. The organization also has a reputation for its signature events, as a way to raise much-needed funding. Their flagship event, the Gold Ribbon Luncheon held at Four […]






