Continue reading »]]>

The Good Times released their 2012 Best Of edition of their publication yesterday. We had a few shout outs in there as well as a few of our sponsors being recognized as winners. The Grind Out Hunger team wanted to give all of the winners a shout out…

Let’s start out with the big one. Grind Out Hunger Founder, Danny Keith was awarded with the  ”Local Mover Shaker” award for his drive and go-getter personality. Danny works day and night to fight hunger in this community and beyond. Big shout out to him for getting this award…

Next, we have one of our newer partners, Specialized Aviation. These guys won the “Best Local Thrill” award, and let us tell you, they definitely ARE the best. We have been up in the air with these guys several times including once with Good Times Editor, Greg Archer. Chief Pilot, Chris Gularte has joined the fight against hunger, agreeing to donate 15% of tour fees to the cause. Be sure to check them out. Tours start at $33. Dont pass this up!

If you are looking for some food while downtown Santa Cruz you HAVE to check out Pono Hawaiian Grill. Owned by Bruddah Timmy Hunt, these guys support Grind Out Hunger 110%. If you havent noticed, Bruddah Timmy provides food for almost ALL of our Grind Out Hunger events. Why? Because he supports the cause AND because the food is delicious. Big shout out to Bruddah Timmy and his crew for winning “Best New Restaurant”. Head over to Pono if you havent been there yet.

Who doesnt like cheese? Whole Foods Markets won Best Cheese selection this year. These guys are an official Grind Out Hunger sponsor, hosting benefit events over the Summer including our annual Whole Foods Skate Jam. Summer is appraoching fast, keep your eyes and ears open for events coming up with them. Until then, you might want to go to Whole Foods and pick up some cheese… 

We thought we would highlight our homie, Chris Rene. He took time out of his busy life last Sunday to come to our Youth Service Day event at Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop. Chris hung out with the kids, signed a big poster and other items for his little fans, and (we have been told) is repping his Grind Out Hunger hoodie around the country during his travels. Big thanks to Chris and congratulations on winning the “Best Display of Santa Cruz Talent” award. 

We also want to give recognition to the businesses and individuals that were runners-up for different categories in the 2012 Good Times Best Of Awards:

• Beachwear / Surf Shop / Surfboard shop - Santa Cruz Surf Shop

• Skateboard Shop – Santa Cruz Skate Shop

• Natural Food Market – Whole Foods

• New Business: Pono Hawaiian Grill

• Non-Profit: Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz

• Solo Musician: Chris Rene

•Local Hero: Chris Rene

• Best Writer: Greg Archer

CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!!!

~ Grind Out Hunger Team 

Continue reading »]]>

Hunger Fighters Zane Keith and Marissa Hushaw

On Tuesday night family, friends, and community members gathered at Palapas Restaurant y Catina in the beautiful Seascape area to sit down and have dinner together in support of Hunger Fighter, Marissa Hushaw and Grind Out Hunger. A couple months ago Marissa approached Palapas asking if they would be interested in supporting her Grind Out Hunger campaign. They decided that they would choose a night in the month of April to donate 10% of their dinner profits to the cause. The night was wonderful, everyone eating dinner together, socializing, looking out over the ocean all in support of the cause.

By the end of the evening, through Palapas’ and several additional donations we ended up raising 2,380 meals for kids in need.

Hushaw Family With Danny Keith and Zane Keith

“I want to send out thank you’s to Mark Holcomb, Don and Hanna Palapas Managers, Chris, Brook, Angie and the entire staff for a great evening. So many of my amazing friends attended such as the Ramirez, Higginbotham, Perez, Watkins, Naranjo and Cabral families just to name a few!

I want to give a Special Thanks to Jared Lee and Jason Perez, full time China Peak employees, for coming all the way out here to visit and come to my event.  I know that the Grind Out Hunger word is getting out when my circle of snow friends are driving all the way from the mountain to get involved.

For those that couldn’t make it but wanted to…You are all Hunger Fighters and I greatly appreciate the support and donations before and after the event!”

- Marissa Hushaw, Hunger Fighter

Marissa and some fellow friends/supporters

Hunger Fighter Athlete, Zane Keith rolled through to support his fellow hunger fighter. These two have been teaming up recently to Grind Out Hunger. Be sure too keep an eye out for events coming your way with these two involved….
We pulled both of them aside and did a mini photo shoot outside of the restaurant. Enjoy a few photos….

Continue reading »]]>

Chris Rene with all the youth Hunger Fighters. #lovelife

With support from the SODEXO foundation, Youth Service America, and Disney Friends for Change, Zane Keith and Marissa Hushaw’s Grind Out Hunger Youth Service Day was nothing short of spectacular.

Hunger Fighters Marissa Hushaw and Zane Keith with Award Winning film maker, Rocky Romano of The Go Big Project.

Film Maker, Rocky Romano and The Go Big Project had a full film crew at the event, documenting, interviewing, and more. The Go Big Project will be whipping up an incredible recap of the day. We had delicious catered food provided by Pono Hawaiian Grill (Mahalo Bruddah Timmy!). Families, friends, kids, celebrities, musicians, athletes and more all showed up to support the cause and the event. The energy throughout the day was inspiring. It was a day of kids helping kids fight hunger…

We had a full crew of helpers that worked from setup to breakdown. From merchandise tables to interacting with people and educating them about Grind Out Hunger. We couldn’t have done it without the help from our youth/student hunger fighters; Connor Luther (Connor Luther Photography), Caleb Luther, Kalil Mitchell, Felicia Mitchell, Ari Doggett, Dylan Morrish, Joycelynn Marie, Ashley Epis, Iggy LaMacchia…and all the other helpers that showed up!

Kalil, Felicia, and Caleb helping out at the Grind Out Hunger merch table.

People began to arrive for the event at about noon. Our skate ramps in the back officially opened and the party got started. Musician, Tess Dunn showed up to perform. She played an amazing set with her mighty sidekick Austin Corona (Blue Weekend), who usually plays guitar, but busted out the drum set for this one. Killer!  What can we say about Tess Dunn… What a rockstar…110% supportive of Grind Out Hunger and someone that we want to work with for a very long time. This was her first event performing for us and she told us that she had a BLAST. The energy, the community, and the cause are all something she wants to be a part of. We have a feeling this wont be the last time the lovely Tess Dunn performs for Grind Out Hunger… Tess recently released a new album, “Honesty Box“, head over to iTunes and take a listen. Check out her Facebook fan page here for more information about her music… www.facebook.com/tessdunnmusic 

Tess Dunn and Austin Corona. Killer performance.

Hunger Fighters, Zane Keith and Marissa Hushaw were in the building. Zane, promoting his skate campaign, shredded the back skate ramps for all of the groms and adults. He took the mic and explained to people “fighting hunger can be fun when incorporating skateboarding. All you have to do is spread the word and encourage people to help their community. It all starts with awareness.” Zane offers skate lessons to kids with a portion of the fee being donated to Grind Out Hunger.

Marissa, our snowboarder hunger fighter, got a large group of her school and snowboarding friends to show up to the event. She has these friends enlisted under her “Hunger Fighter Army” that she is rapidly creating in effort to eradicate childhood hunger. Dedicated to her sport and the cause, Marissa thanked everyone for showing up to help feed kids. She knows that no one should go hungry, and that she, along with her army, can be part of the solution to that problem.

Hunger Fighters Marissa Hushaw and Zane Keith with Grind Out hunger founder, Danny Keith.

Big wave surfer Nic Lamb dropped in for a surprise visit and quickly donned a new Grind Out Hunger Surf Hoodie. Representing the cause, Nic Lamb is looking to take his involvement to the next level by using his surfing talent to feed kids within his community. Nic Lamb is our next Hunger Fighter Athlete in surf.

Kimberly Moriarity of the Jay Moriarity Foundation with the next Hunger Fighter Athlete, Nic Lamb.

About an hour into the event Sam Diggedy and Domingo Rivera of 102.5 KDON The Morning Madhouse walked through the door. Alongside them none other than special guest, Royalty the King. Royalty, known for his hit song “Brown Eyed Girl” heard about the event and wanted to check it out to see if he could get involved with the cause….Sam Diggedy (Director of Music for Grind Out Hunger) has recruited Royalty to be our next musician Hunger Fighter, look for his page and wristbands soon.

Marissa Hushaw, Royalty the King, Sam Diggedy, and Zane Keith.

Shortly after, we were blessed with another big surprise as local music celebrity Chris Rene entered the building. Chris Rene, an X-Factor USA finalist, is a Santa Cruz local know for the recent release of his song “Young Homie” (Find in iTunes store here), the first single from the 29-year-old singer/songwriter’s forthcoming ‘major label’ debut album due in stores later in 2012 via Epic Records. Chris came to check out the Grind Out Hunger hype that has been going on and show his support for a local charity started by members of his community. He grabbed a Grind Out Hunger music hoodie put it on and stood in for a few photos with fans, fellow supporters and the youth hunger fighters. Big thanks to Chris Rene for coming out to support this event, he is doing good things, spreading positivity throughout the community with his music. Grind Out Hunger supports Chris Rene and all of the work that he is doing.

Chris Rene shaking Danny Keith's hand. Thanks for the support, Chris.

Chris Rene signed a large Love Life poster for Grind Out Hunger

Chris Rene supporting Grind Out Hunger

Our second musical performer was Jackie Roxx of Jackie Rocks Band and Dressed in Roses. She played an acoustic set alongside her sister who is also a member of the band Dressed in Roses. Jackie Rocks Band is described as melodic and upbeat, yet aggressive and heavy. A wide variety of comparisons have been made from Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, The Donnas, Poison, Soundgarden, to My Chemical Romance, AFI, and Cheap Trick. We were very fortunate to be able to have her at the event and perform. We talked with her afterwards about lining up some future shows for Grind Out Hunger. Find out more about her music on her band’s facebook page: www.facebook.com/Jackierocksband And take a listen to come of her music on iTunes here. 

Jackie Roxx and her sister Maddie performing.

By the end of the event we ended up raising 5,830 meals for kids in need. Made a bunch of smiles happen and spread the Disney cheer making Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop the happiest place on earth for the day.

Continue reading »]]>

LIMITED ENTRANCE.
MAKE SURE YOU GET IN.
BUY A TICKET IN ADVANCE.

http://www.gohredballoonpartyapril.eventbrite.com/

Continue reading »]]>

It has been am awesome week, so much momentum for Grind Out Hunger. So much in fact that Thursday snuck up on us and the students of SOS High School were out in the courtyard waiting for their tour to start. As my guests were waiting I had to reflect…The best part of my job is to take students on tours of Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County and today was no different.

It started as usual, most people that come out to the food bank realize the obvious that food is distributed to the people that need it. What almost all of the people do not realize is that is just the very tip of the iceberg. Food banks are complex community hubs that champion a multitude of opportunities improving lives.

I start of with our guests letting them know a few things about the food bank they might find interesting. Fact one: 1 in 4 kids are going hungry or malnourished in Santa Cruz County. Fact two: The food bank serves over 55,000 people per month, Fact three: Second Harvest Food Bank is the second oldest food bank in the United States. Fact four: Grind Out Hunger and the youth of Santa Cruz County have raised over 1 million pounds of food.

As we cruised through the food bank, the students met Events and Food Drives Manager Bly Morales,  Volunteer Services Manager Danny Robles, CEO Willy Elliot-McCrea, Chief Operations and Programs Officer Brooke Johnson and multiple people throughout the warehouse. We watched a bag packing session (complete with LMFAO’s “I work out” on 102.5 KDON) and got to check out what was actually packed in the bags (there were pistachios in the bags we opened!). A bunch of students ran through the freezer and then the refrigerator, we talked about how many frozen chickens distributed over the holidays (30,000!!!) and how many pounds of fresh fruits and produce rotates in and out of the refrigerator (over 150,000  pounds).

As we wrapped it up, we talked about skateboarding and how it applies to helping people out, why I founded Grind Out Hunger, a little about myself (a 5 year stint on 102.5 KDON’s The Morning Madhouse and Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop always helps.)and how I grew up. After all is said and done, I like to leave students with some words of advice. As I hand every student my business card and their Hunger Fighter Bracelets, I tell them to make two promises to me;

1. Don’t do anything you are not passionate about, you can make as much money doing something you love rather than working in a job you hate.

2. One person can make a difference.

Ladies and gentlemen I give you the most recent batch of Hunger Fighters from SOS High School. You guys rule and can do anything you put your minds to!

Newly crowned Hunger Fighters SOS High School Students and Grind Out Hunger Founder Danny Keith

About SOS School:
SOS is designed for students up to age 19 who are returning to school and who want to continue their education and work towards a high school diploma, GED, or transition to Cabrillo College.
SOS is an individualized, student-centered program that also includes vocational education. The SOS Program is a collaboration between Watsonville/Aptos Adult Ed., COE’s Alternative Education, Cabrillo College, Regional Occupational Program (ROP), and Pájaro Valley USD.
For more information visit their website at: http://www.santacruz.k12.ca.us/alt_ed/schools/sos.html

Continue reading »]]>

Joey Hernandez (Empire Entertainment), Danny Keith (Grind Out Hunger), Rocky Romano (The Go Big Project), and Chriz Nuñez (Miami Ink/Ink Master) at Maverick Moments Screening Saturday Night.

What can only be described as a night to be remembered, started out with torrential downpours. That did not stop hundreds of people turning out in their Saturday finest to support Grind Out Hunger‘s roll out of Surf as one of three new divisions. We called up Grind Out Hunger partner Timmy Hunt of Pono Hawaiian Grill and he gladly whipped up PuPu’s for 150 people, ” You know Pono Hawaiian Grill supports every Grind Out Hunger event regardless, lets do this brah!” It’s fairly obvious that people are moved to combat childhood hunger and will do whatever it takes to bring awareness.

Ken “Skindog” Collins in his support of feeding kids, donated hundreds of dollars of Volcom Gear to be given away over the course of the evening. “The fact that we have any kids let alone 1 in 4 going hungry is not going to fly with me, we are going to hit this head on and beat childhood hunger”.

The Go Big Project‘s CEO Rocky Romano approached founder Danny Keith and asked the question…we want in, how can we do it? Literally at that moment the surf division was born (another Jimbo Phillips masterpiece). With that came the opportunity to partner with the Maverick Moments docuseries about the gladiators of big wave surfing and the 4 to 5 times it breaks a year. The 2011-2012 season produced and Saturday night was the unveiling of the small films that make up Maverick Moments.

As stated in the Santa Cruz Patch article, both The Go Big Project and Grind Out Hunger put together a night and invited all the right people to attend and hear the message…The declaration of war on childhood hunger in Santa Cruz County. A couple of those people were Joey Hernandez CEO of Empire Entertainment and Chris Nuñez of Miami Ink/Ink Master fame mixed in with numerous Big Wave Surfers, Shawn Dollar, Anthony Tashnick, Nic Lamb, Andreas Flores and Tyler Fox.

About 200 people gathered together Saturday night at the R. Blitzer Gallery to watch the premier of The Go Big Project's "Maverick Moments: Danger" film.

Brian Laing CEO Hive Media and The Deadliest Catch Video Game; Eric Oejten of Empire Entertainment; Elizabeth Gummere President of the Santa Cruz Film Festival; Robert Blitzer of R. Blitzer Gallery;  Jason “J-Willz” Williams and Jesse Corona of Ribsys Nickel; DJ Rudy B; Shawn Hatjes Photography and Surf Photographer Ryan “Chachi” Craig. Over all about 200 people filtered in and out over the evening at the R. Blitzer Gallery.

Danny Keith, Nic Lamb, and Rocky Romano.

Fans were able to hang out with the pro’s and the Miami Celebs and watch “Danger” part of the Maverick Moments documentary series. All of this was a precursor to the Mavericks Invitational Festival being held March 31st in Half Moon Bay which the Grind Out Hunger ramps will be a part of amongst some of the best big wave surfers. This night they will reveal multiple awards to be given to the surfers that got the best wave, best wipeout and many others. Please visit Mavericks Invitational Festival website and purchase your advance tickets and merchandise. Also please show up March 31st and support the event that is supporting Grind Out Hunger.

Chris Nuñez of Miami Ink/Ink Master and Grind Out Hunger Founder Danny Keith

The night also brought about some deep discussions about fighting childhood hunger nationwide with Chris Nuñez of Miami Ink/Ink Master and Grind Out Hunger Founder doing a hand shake deal to take Grind Out Hunger to Miami ASAP and work from the East Coast to the West Coast until no child goes hungry. Joey Hernandez CEO of Empire Entertainment was right there with Chris stating that no kid should go hungry and there are a new group of warriors ready to make sure we win this war.

Grind Out Hunger has blossomed from a skateboarding based charity to one that represents the lifestyle of the independent mindset. Skater, Surfers and Snowboarders united with Musicians (Jimbo Phillips logo dropping soon) have pledged one by one to fight childhood hunger locally and move nationally county by county.

Jason "J-Willz" Williams and Jesse Corona of local band Ribsys Nickel supporting Grind Out Hunger and The Go Big Project.

Current Hunger Fighters Snowboarder Marissa Hushaw and Skater Zane Keith are in full swing and currently Grind Out Hunger is signing Ken “Skindog” Collins and Nic Lamb two big wave gladiators that will have their own Grind Out Hunger merchandise landing soon. The newest division Musician will soon be added with bands dedicated to fighting childhood hunger just like their Skating, Surfing and Snowboarding counterparts. Take a look at the pic above…yep the best bands are already stepping up and getting involved and Ribsys Nickel would be an awesome partner (hint).

The future of Grind Out Hunger looks bright as the partnerships are beginning to form with one main focus…destroy childhood hunger. Stay tuned as digital media gets involved and we begin to tell the story that most do not want to hear….Kids going hungry. Coming to your T.V. very soon.

Extra special thanks to the nights sponsors, R. Blitzer Gallery, Pono Hawaiian Grill, DJ Rudy B, Volcom Clothing, Santa Cruz Film Festival, all The Go Big Project employees, the Grind Out Hunger volunteers, Cafe Mare, KK the bartender, all the people that came out and supported feeding kids and of course a HUGE THANKS to Big Cat and Anthony who were our bodyguards all night long making sure no one got out of line.

Special thanks to Jimbo Phillips for providing the iconic fork over concept, so far we have Surf, Skate, Snow and now Music is about to be revealed.

Our amazing sponsors include the Jay Moriarity Foundation, The Go Big Project, Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop, Whole Foods of Captiola/Santa Cruz, KDON 102.5, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County, 3D Construction, Pono Hawaiian Grill and of course Jimbo Phillips Graphix.

]]> http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/28/star-studded-night-big-wave-surfers-the-go-big-project-and-chris-nunez-of-miami-inkink-master-raise-4000-meals/feed/ 0 http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/23/maverick-moments-presents-danger-with-vip-guests-chris-nunez-joey-hernandez-professional-big-wave-surfers/ http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/23/maverick-moments-presents-danger-with-vip-guests-chris-nunez-joey-hernandez-professional-big-wave-surfers/#comments Sat, 24 Mar 2012 01:30:26 +0000 shawn http://grindouthunger.org/?p=4030

Continue reading »]]>

***WANT GUARANTEED ENTRANCE TO THE EVENT?*** 
PURCHASE VIP TICKETS ONLINE HERE

PRESENTS:

Maverick Moments “DANGER” – 8PM Showing

 ***WANT GUARANTEED ENTRANCE TO THE EVENT?*** 
PURCHASE VIP TICKETS ONLINE HERE

Special Guests:  

• Chris Nuñez (Miami Ink/Ink Masters)
• Joey Hernandez CEO from Empire Entertainment

• Daryl “Flea” Virostko
• Tyler Fox
• Anthony Tashnick
•Shane Desmond
• Shawn Dollar
• Nic Lamb
• Ryan Augenstein
…and more 

 

 RSVP on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/202534869853092/

 

Join us at the R. Blitzer Gallery on the West Side for an all ages event celebrating film, athletes, and the wave known as Mavericks.

We will be giving out 75 tickets to the Mavericks Invitational Festival
($25 value each)

Support Grind Out Hunger & have your picture taken with some of the best Big Wave Surfing Athletes in the world.

Volcom Gear Giveaway!

Full Bar

In conjunction with Grind Out Hunger, the R. Blitzer Gallery, and the annual California Grown BBQ
(the bbq starts at 12pm outside of the Gallery and California Grown shop)

Only $10 + a can of food for Grind Out Hunger

WANT GUARANTEED ENTRANCE TO THE EVENT?
PURCHASE VIP TICKETS ONLINE HERE

]]> http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/23/maverick-moments-presents-danger-with-vip-guests-chris-nunez-joey-hernandez-professional-big-wave-surfers/feed/ 0 http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/20/special-edition-zane-keith-grind-out-hunger-wristbands/ http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/20/special-edition-zane-keith-grind-out-hunger-wristbands/#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:59:37 +0000 shawn http://grindouthunger.org/?p=3875

Continue reading »]]>

NEW Zane Keith Special Edition Grind Out Hunger wristbands are NOW AVAILABLE!

These SPECIAL EDITION wristbands were inspired by our Team Hunger Fighter, and avid skateboarder, Zane Keith. Proceeds from these wristbands will go towards Zane Keith’s Grind Out Hunger campaign. Did we mention that these wristbands GLOW IN THE DARK!?

 

There are 3 ways you can get your hands on one of these bad boys:

1. If you know Zane Keith, get one directly from him.

2. Head on over to Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop, 912 41st Ave, Santa Cruz, CA
You can pick one up from there.

3. Order one (or more) online at www.grindouthunger.bigcartel.com

 

Click the image below to purchase online…

]]> http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/20/special-edition-zane-keith-grind-out-hunger-wristbands/feed/ 1 http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/20/miracle-march-at-china-peak-mountain-resort/ http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/20/miracle-march-at-china-peak-mountain-resort/#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:54:22 +0000 shawn http://grindouthunger.org/?p=3877

Continue reading »]]>

Looks like Marissa Hushaw had a BLAST up at China Peak Mountain Resort this past weekend. She competed in the finals of the Andy Finch Invitational Final, which was an amazing opportunity for her. We were informed that the CCSSS finals were postponed until next weekend due to 4-5 feet of snow fall, looks like Marissa has another week to prepare for that one. Looks like she got a lot of practice and of course FUN this past weekend with all of the fresh powder! Check out the photos below of her weekend and dont forget to head up to China Peak on the 31st for the 1st ever Marissa Hushaw Grind Out Hunger Rail Jam!
Remember that the rail jam will have two different setups! One for beginners and one for experienced riders. All ages are welcome! See you on the mountain!

All the info you will ever need to know about the rail jam can be found here:
China Peak Presents: Marissa Hushaw’s Grind Out Hunger Rail Jam

At the bottom of this blog is a “Miracle March” video made by China Peak. Check it out! Marissa is in it! Awesome!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhjvVw4Kees

]]> http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/20/miracle-march-at-china-peak-mountain-resort/feed/ 0 http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/16/marissa-hushaw-makes-front-page-of-santa-cruz-sentinel-sports-section/ http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/16/marissa-hushaw-makes-front-page-of-santa-cruz-sentinel-sports-section/#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:29:38 +0000 shawn http://grindouthunger.org/?p=3782

Continue reading »]]>

Marissa Hushaw at it again. This time getting some press. Santa Cruz Sentinel released an article, front page of the sports section, today about Marissa, her love for snowboarding, and her dedication to Fighting Hunger. Marissa has a big weekend coming up as she is going to be competing in the the Andy Finch Invitational Finals.
Everyone, be sure to wish her luck on her Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/marissahushaw

 

 

 

 

Good luck this weekend, Marissa! Have Fun!

___________

Marissa Hushaw: Fighting hunger, one snowflake at a time

By Gretchen Wegrich – Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted:   03/16/2012 01:30:36 AM PDT

Whether she’s flying around a banked turn or catching air high above the competition, 15-year-old snowboarder Marissa Hushaw is dedicated to doing what she loves and giving back to the community that nurtured her talent.

Hushaw, an Aptos High freshman, thrives on challenges. Last year, she competed in the high school Central Coast Ski/Snowboard Series [CSSS] as an eighth-grader.

“It made me feel empowered,” Hushaw said, admitting that she was scared to compete against girls twice her size. “When you bolt out of the gate in front of [the other competitors] and get to the bottom of the hill and look back at them, it’s confidence-building.”

Hushaw has been snowboarding since age 6, when the pint-sized skier decided that the bunny slopes were for babies.

“I made a deal with my dad that if I started snowboarding, he would let me go up the mountain on a chairlift,” said Hushaw, explaining her real motivation for switching from skiing to snowboarding.

Hushaw credits her teammate Greg Frayo on the Santa Cruz Snowboard Team and team manager Paul Merril, as well as the support of her parents, with giving her the confidence she needs to compete.

At the first CCSSS competition this year, Hushaw won both the Boarder X and Giant Slalom events, earning the first wild-card invitation to compete in last Saturday’s Pro Boarder Andy Finch Slope Style Invitational at China Peak Mountain Resort. She has since taken two more wins in GS and anotherwin and a second in Boarder X. Hushaw is currently leading the CCSSS girls in points for the season in both events and plans to take her competitive game to Tahoe next season.

But Hushaw does more than shred powder. This winter, she dedicated her snow season to fighting hunger as part of the Grind Out Hunger campaign.

Hushaw, who celebrated her 15th birthday on Valentine’s Day, is an outspoken Hunger Fighter.

“Did you know that one in four people in Santa Cruz County goes hungry every day?” asked Hushaw, adding, “It’s horrible. You could be standing in a group of four people, one of them is hungry or feeding themselves with food that’s not healthy.”

Grind Out Hunger is a campaign started by Danny Keith, a local philanthropist and owner of Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop on 41st Avenue. Keith founded Grind Out Hunger with the goal of inspiring kids to help kids.
“Marissa Hushaw is just a perfect example of what can happen if you allow the youth to identify the problem and work out their own solution,” Keith said. He added, “Not only is she raising money for Grind Out Hunger, she’s an advocate.”

“Marissa’s passion for fighting hunger is just incredible,” agreed Shawn Hatjes, Grind Out Hunger program director. “She consistently wants to move to the next step.”

Grind Out Hunger provides support for kid-directed fundraisers and partners with local schools to collect food and monetary donations for Second Harvest Food Bank.

Since Dec. 1, Hushaw has raised $2,150 for Grind Out Hunger — $1,150 more than her original goal. On March 7, the young activist received a Grind Out Hunger Generation Next Award honoring her achievements.

“If you can feed someone, then why not do it?” asked Hushaw. “If we live in a place where we’re surrounded by fields growing strawberries, lettuce, all this good healthy food, why can’t we feed ourselves?”

The campaign started with Hushaw reaching out to friends and family, but it began to snowball when the China Peak ski and snowboard community got involved.

“The people at the repair shop at China Peak started donating their tips,” Hushaw said. “And now we’re going to have a Grind Out Hunger Rail Jam.”

Grind Out Hunger says it can turn $1 into three pounds of food. If that’s true, Hushaw’s campaign has already raised enough money to donate thousands of pounds of food to those who need it in the county.

“Anyone can make a difference, you just have to have a starting place,” Hushaw said. “Through Grind Out Hunger, I know everyone has a starting place.”

Hushaw will continue her Hunger Fighter campaign until April 1. To donate, visitwww.grindouthunger.org/marissahushaw.

____

To read the article on the Sentinel Website please go to: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/sports/ci_20186754/marissa-hushaw-fighting-hunger-one-snowflake-at-time 

]]> http://grindouthunger.org/2012/03/16/marissa-hushaw-makes-front-page-of-santa-cruz-sentinel-sports-section/feed/ 0