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CAPITOLA — St. John’s Helpful Shop in Capitola Village is preparing to move out and find a new home after 65 years. A literal cornerstone of the village, St. John’s Helpful Shop first opened at its location on the corner of Monterey and Capitola avenues in 1953. Women from the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist, then located in the Depot Hill area of Capitola, opened the store to raise money for a new church carpet. Gradually, the church grew, and the shop became a way for St. John’s to expand its community outreach. Church and community members alike volunteer their time at the shop, with all proceeds given as grants to local nonprofits. The building that houses the Helpful Shop recently changed hands, said shop volunteer Daniel Oliver. This has prompted them to move out and possibly find a new location. “We’re currently making a decision of where and when we can reopen,” Oliver said. “We’d like to get the word out and ask help from the community.” In 2018, St. John’s Helpful Shop helped support 26 different organizations across the region — including Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes, Homeless Services Center, Native Animal Rescue, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Cruz County and more. “That’s really the whole point,” Oliver said. “The outreach. We’d really like to keep that going.” Aug. 25 was the Helpful Shop’s final day open at its Capitola Village location. The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist is now located at 125 Canterbury Drive in Aptos, and Helpful Shop volunteers say they hope to find a location not too far from the church itself — but are open to other ideas. To contact St. John’s Helpful Shop, visit st-john-aptos.org.

For many, the process of 3D printing is still akin to magic. Witnessing a digital design take shape in a physical form through a 3D printer, creating everything from architectural models to human prosthetics, seems like a miracle — until you actually understand the science behind it. Since Jan. 20, a sizable collection of 3D printers, along with laser and vinyl cutters, routers, soldering stations and more are now available to Cabrillo College students, faculty and the community at the school’s new Makerspace center.

Income planning. Qualifying on a home loan is a little trickier than you might think. Let me "esplain" (I grew up watching "I Love Lucy"). Let’s say you’ve been at your job for 20 years and you’re still renting your co-worker's garage. Let’s further say that your company has been asking you to work overtime and double time and you have politely declined the offer over the past few years, hey! Not having to work so much is the benefit of living in a garage. But then the unthinkable happens. You get a serious girlfriend who refuses to be sweet on you inside of a garage. You start working all the overtime and double time and even triple time (this could be a local policeman) that you can get your hands on. This is where the sins of the past come to haunt you. The bank will only count overtime if you worked it for two years continually, it doesn’t matter that it's always been there for you. Thinking you can afford more in the moment is an easy pitfall to fall into, I can help you avoid such an embarrassment by letting you know what you actually qualify for and not what you figured you did.

"This scholarship will help me pay for college," Mora said. "I want to thank Mr. George Ow Jr. and the Ow Family for making the American Dream Scholarship possible."

Three new K-9s were sworn into duty March 12 at the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. Before a crowd of about 70 people, the three dogs were led by their handlers into the Sheriff’s Office Community Room to be sworn in and to receive their new badges. “We’ve used this room to swear in 10 deputies and we didn’t get this kind of turn out,” Sheriff Jim Hart said. “It’s taken a lot to get this program built up. I know that our staff and myself are looking forward to the help these dogs can provide.”

There were several events special for the fair’s opening day. As per tradition, the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau and the Watsonville Firefighters Association hosted the Opening Day Barbecue in Paddy Smith Park. People enjoyed a lunch of tri-tip, salad and garlic bread while South Bay Swing Band performed nearby on the Amphitheater Stage.

The Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola is hosting its annual “Dine for the Red Cross” fundraiser on Jan. 15.

The Capitola Junior Lifeguards program got underway June 18. The annual program, geared for youths ages 6 to 17, is an active, physically challenging, competitive program, which provides instruction in the basic fundamentals of ocean water safety, first aid, lifesaving, fitness and good sportsmanship.

Girl Scout Troop 10213 of Aptos recently donated more than 50 jackets to Dominican Hospital as part of their holiday charity project. The 10- and 11-year-olds collected the coats through donation drives at Mar Vista and Soquel elementary schools. The jackets will be added to the hospital’s “patient closet,” and will be provided to any patient who needs a coat when they leave the hospital.

APTOS — On Jan. 13, the Monterey Bay Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers will hold its annual winter Scion Exchange at the Cabrillo College Horticulture Center in Aptos from noon to 3 p.m.