Thank you San Benito County residents for rallying behind the
University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) program in
May when the San Benito County Board of Supervisors were
considering a recommendation to reduce funding for the agriculture
and 4-H Youth programs that have been here in San Benito County for
over 80 years.
Dear Editor,
Thank you San Benito County residents for rallying behind the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) program in May when the San Benito County Board of Supervisors were considering a recommendation to reduce funding for the agriculture and 4-H Youth programs that have been here in San Benito County for over 80 years.
Your efforts to write letters to the editors of the local newspapers, the board of supervisors and to sign petitions to demonstrate your support of UCCE programs here in San Benito County is appreciated.
For those of you who might have missed the final outcome of the budget process, your efforts resulted in the board of supervisors approving a budget for UCCE that requires public donations of $17,500 to offset the net cost to the county for UCCE program operations for the 2004-2005 budget year.
Many of you have been asking the question “how are you going to raise the money” And here is the answer!
The “Make ‘Em Kiss the Pig” campaign is a “fun” fundraiser for the county and University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE)program. For a $1 donation, people can cast their vote for who they want to Kiss the Pig. The candidates include: District 2 Supervisor Candidates Anthony Botelho, Anthony Freitas, County Administrative Officer Dan Vrtis, Supervisor Reb Monaco, Supervisor Pat Loe, Supervisor-elect Don Marcus, Free Press Publisher Linda Lee King, Pinnacle Publisher Tracie Cone, Hollister Free Lance Editor Conan Knoll.
So San Benito County, can you support the UCCE/4-H programs one more time? Surely there must be at least one candidate that you are willing to spend $1 on for this fun raising campaign. You can vote by visiting one of the 20 polling stations that have been placed throughout the county, contacting one of the candidates or by writing a check payable to San Benito County/UCCE and mailing it to UCCE P.O. Box 1956, Hollister CA, 95024-1956. Please be sure to indicate whom you are voting for! Remember to vote and vote often. The winner will be announced at the San Benito County Fair Junior Livestock Auction on Saturday Oct. 2. Remember to vote and vote often!
Final food for thought – if you are selected to Kiss the Pig, are you the winner or the loser? Only time will tell!
Watch the news, we will keep you posted.
Pat Johns, county director,
University of California Cooperative Extension
