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Jenny Kurzweil 2021 Headshot.DeviPridePhotography1 (1).jpg
Jenny Kurzweil

(pronouns: she/her/hers)

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As the granddaughter of Jewish refugee factory workers and union organizers and the daughter of civil rights and feminist queer activists, I inherited a hard wired drive to work for social justice--I just had to find a path that was right for me. Turns out that the path involved stories and pie. 

 

I started my professional career as a chef and baker but transitioned to storytelling when I got to know the small-scale sustainable farmers at my local market. My book Portrait of a Market: A Journey to the Roots of Our Food combines oral history and research to share a vision of a safe and just food system. After that, I never returned to a commercial kitchen and instead dedicated my love of writing and communications to advance social causes.

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For nearly 20 years, I served as the chief storyteller for a national nonprofit led by and for people of color working to advance diversity in the science and technology fields. Now, as the Communications Officer at Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, I chronicle donors’ generosity and showcase nonprofit leaders in their work building a Santa Cruz County where all people can thrive. At the core of my work is listening and trust--honoring authentic voices and hopefully sparking action in others to get involved and give back. 

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In 2015, I helped co-found Pie for the People Santa Cruz, an intergenerational community pie potluck that benefits grassroots nonprofits in Santa Cruz County. Together, we’ve raised $16,500 for organizations working locally for racial justice, immigrant rights, environmental education, homeless support services, and more. 

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Deeply rooted in Santa Cruz since 2001, you can find me at any of our local farmers markets, walking the trails with my beloved dog Muggsy, or watching Marvel movies and Star Trek with my wife and two teenage sons.

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