Paddle for a Purpose
Help Put Food on the Table for Hospice Patients
This September, Hospice of Santa Barbara Volunteer Services Manager Elske Free Bernt will paddle nearly 30 miles across the open ocean to help make sure people facing a terminal diagnosis don’t have to face hunger, too.
27–33 miles of open ocean, one paddle at a time
On Saturday, September 12, Elske will join her home club, the Santa Barbara Outrigger Canoe Club (SBOCC), for the 2026 U.S. Outrigger Championships Catalina Crossing — a demanding open-ocean race from Newport Beach to Catalina Island. The two-day event, hosted by the Southern California Outrigger Racing Association (SCORA), features races covering roughly 27–33 miles of open ocean.
She’ll be one of a crew of nine paddlers making the crossing. The race will take up to five hours — the impact of the dollars raised will last much longer.
In her work with Hospice of Santa Barbara, Elske has seen an increasing need for help with basic necessities like food and transportation. A terminal diagnosis can bring a devastating combination of medical expenses, reduced income, and increased costs for medications, transportation, and specialized nutrition. For people who were already living on the edge financially, a serious illness can quickly turn into food insecurity.
“It’s heartbreaking seeing individuals and families who are already struggling with a terminal diagnosis suffer the indignity of food insecurity or be unable to afford gas to get to treatments.” — Elske Free Bernt, Volunteer Services Manager
Hospice of Santa Barbara works with community partners to help fill some of these gaps. Through collaborations with the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County and Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation, HSB’s volunteers currently provide produce deliveries twice a week. But produce deliveries alone cannot meet every need.
This need is becoming even more urgent as changes to CalFresh take effect across California. Under H.R. 1, signed into law in July 2025, new CalFresh work and community-engagement requirements began taking effect in California on June 1, 2026 — meaning some adults ages 18–64 who don’t meet specified exemptions must satisfy work or community-engagement requirements to maintain their benefits.
In Santa Barbara County, approximately 17,000 CalFresh recipients are at risk of losing benefits under the new requirements. For people living with a terminal diagnosis — whose ability to work may already be limited, and whose need for nutritious food and transportation to appointments is greater than ever — this added pressure can be especially hard.
~17,000
SB County CalFresh recipients at risk under the new requirements
2×/week
Produce deliveries HSB currently coordinates with local partners
27–33 mi
Open-ocean distance of the Catalina Crossing
Elske is raising money for Hospice of Santa Barbara’s Quality-of-Life Grant Fund, a small but vital resource that provides grocery and gas gift cards to patients experiencing financial hardship. Every dollar raised through this race goes directly to Quality-of-Life Grants.
Pledge $1 - $100 for every mile Elske paddles
A $30 pledge can help provide groceries for someone who is struggling to make ends meet.
A $1-per-mile pledge turns every mile of the Catalina Crossing into another dollar of support for a hospice patient.
On September 12, Elske will be one of a crew of nine paddlers crossing the open ocean from Newport Beach toward Catalina Island.
She’ll be paddling for the patients she serves.
For the person choosing between groceries and gas.
For the family trying to make a loved one’s final months a little more comfortable.
For the hospice patient who shouldn’t have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.
Will you help turn her miles into meaningful support?
Make a pledge of $30 or $1 per mile and help Hospice of Santa Barbara provide food and transportation assistance to patients facing financial hardship. 100% of funds raised through this effort will go to the Hospice of Santa Barbara Quality-of-Life Grant Fund.
Elske paddles with the Santa Barbara Outrigger Canoe Club (SBOCC), founded in 1981. The club hosts the annual Rig Run Race at Ledbetter Beach, and this year is sending two women’s crews and two men’s crews to the Catalina Championships.
Instagram: @santabarbaraoutrigger