FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2021

Media Inquiries:
Vivien Minton
Marketing Director
vminton@foodshare.com
(805) 822-8027

FOOD SHARE DISTRIBUTES MOST FOOD IN ITS  43 YEAR HISTORY

(OXNARD, CA)

Since the onset of COVID-19 one year ago, Food Share, Ventura County’s largest hunger-relief organization, has distributed more than 26 million pounds of food, providing more than 21.6 million meals to people in Ventura County. That’s the most amount of food ever distributed in the organization’s 43 year history, and nearly double the previous high of 13.5 million pounds in 2019. 

“The numbers really show the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the health and economics of our community,” noted Monica White, Food Share’s President and CEO. “To put some context around it, that’s the equivalent of feeding a sold out Dodger Stadium three meals a day for the entire baseball season, plus the playoffs and the World Series.”  

To ramp up operations to the level needed to meet the increased need, Food Share has relied heavily on the support of the CA Air National Guard, plus thousands of individual volunteers who, collectively, have given more than 76,000 volunteer hours to support Food Share’s mission over the past twelve months. 

“We truly cannot thank our community enough for their support, whether it’s been through food drives, or monetary donations or volunteer hours,” commented White. “While we celebrate the news of decreased COVID cases and increased vaccinations, we can’t stress enough that the vaccine doesn’t cure hunger.” White added, “Food Share continues to see the negative economic impact on the members of our community due to COVID-19. We anticipate needing to provide additional food support for many more months and years to come.”

About Food Share of Ventura County:

About Food Share of Ventura County:

  • Even in normal circumstances, an estimated 1 in 6 people in Ventura County experiences food insecurity, meaning that they are without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
  • Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Food Share of Ventura County has seen an unprecedented rise in need in addition to the 75,000 people the organization already serves on a monthly basis. Food Share now estimates the number is closer to 150,000. 
  • Since April 1, 2020, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Food Share has held more than 330 emergency drive-thru food distributions, distributing more than 360,000 food boxes. These distributions are a supplement to the ongoing work of Food Share’s pantry and agency partner network, many of which remain closed due to the pandemic. 
  • For all the latest information on where to find food, how to volunteer and how you can support Food Share with a monetary donation visit: www.foodshare.com
  • Download Food Share’s new app, available for free in the App Store and Google Play by searching “Food Share of Ventura County.” The app provides a new Find Food Now search function, which allows anyone in need of food to quickly identify sources of free food on any given day. Visit: foodshare.com/app/ for details. 
  • Food Share is honored to have been named a 2020 CA Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin.
  • Follow Food Share on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and tag posts #WeFeedVC
  • Food Share is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, as well as the California Association of Food Banks.