Full Schedule Vincent Ferrante juggles a full load of volunteer jobs and public service after retiring three times. By Pam Marino Vincent Ferrante remembers his mother, Alberta, collecting donations in the neighborhood for March of Dimes or the local community chest, among other volunteer e orts, when he was growing up in Monterey near Fisherman’s Wharf. It left an impression on a young Ferrante, now 83 and living in North Monterey County. His weeks are busier than most working people’s. “I’ve always had that in my mind, what my mom did, so it’s what motivated me to take a page out of her book to continue on what she used to do back in the day,” he says. After retiring from three careers—Ferrante spent 45 years working as a grocery store butcher and supervisor until 1998, 30 years as a youth athletic coach for middle schools and high schools until 2013 and spent time directing adaptive basketball for Monterey County Special Olympics in Salinas—he’s plunged himself into community service with almost too many roles to count. Ferrante lists as his rst priority his role as an elected o cial on the Moss Landing Harbor District board. He won his rst election in 2002 and has been reelected ve times. He plans to run again in November 2026. He also serves on the board of the California Special Districts Association. Ferrante has several volunteer positions with Salinas Valley Health, beginning with the Patient Family Advisory Council. While he was a patient himself, he got to talking with an employee from the Patient Experience Team and was invited to join the inaugural council. “We make sure patients in the hospital are being attended to and we come up with ideas for better service for the hospital in general,” Ferrante says. He also works at the hospital on Wednesdays, through the local chapter of Mended Hearts. “I volunteer to talk to various heart patients to say there’s life after heart attacks or after bypass, whatever the case may be,” he says. His third job at SVH is in the No One Dies Alone program, where volunteers sit by the bedside of patients who are dying and have no loved ones available to comfort them. Finally, Ferrante often serves as a volunteer chaplain, sometimes on Sundays or when the hospital chaplain is away. Outside of SVH, Ferrante also volunteers with Festa Italia in Monterey and he recently joined the Monterey County Fair Heritage Foundation Board. He says careful time management is the key. “My belief is this: If I’m asked or if I get appointed to a board, volunteer-wise, I make sure I’m giving them quality time,” he says. DANIEL DREIFUSS • Emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence • Mental health services • Information, education, and advocacy • Línea de Crisis 24/7 • Servicios y prevención de violencia doméstica • Refugio de emergencia para víctimas de violencia doméstica • Servicios de salud mental • Información, educación y abogacía M-F/L-V 9am-5pm www.ywcamc.org (831) 422-8602 Salinas (831) 372-6300/(831) 7571001 Crisis Line/Línea de crisis Housing Resources Recursos de Vivienda 86 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY® LIVING WELL 2026-2027
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