Food Share fosters strong community partnerships to ensure no one in Ventura County goes hungry.
Every year, we distribute almost 20 million pounds of healthy food through our programs and by collaborating with our network of 174 partner agencies. Support from the Ag community, corporations, supermarkets, and generous donors enables us to provide nutritious, high-quality food to those in need.
At our Oxnard warehouses, hundreds of volunteers work tirelessly to sort, rescue, purchase, and distribute over a million pounds of food each month. Pantry coordinators from across the county visit our facilities to collect food for their local distributions.
This collaborative effort ensures food reaches 331 distribution locations, providing meals for families, seniors, and children throughout Ventura County. Together, we are making a difference!
Food Share’s partnerships within the Ag community, neighborhood backyards, and generous contributions allow Food Share to procure quality, nutritional, and valuable food.
Food Share processes donated and purchased food with the help of hundreds of volunteers at our warehouses located in Oxnard. Over a million pounds of food is rescued, purchased, sorted, and distributed each month.
Pantry coordinators from all throughout the County come to our warehouses to collect the needed food for their distributions to help feed our hungry friends and neighbors.
Food is then distributed through the 190 pantry locations and programs to hungry families, seniors, and children!
How Food Share Turns $1 into 3 Meals
At Food Share, we turn every dollar donated into at least three nutritious meals for Ventura County families. We work with local partners, grocery stores, farmers, and community supporters who help rescue surplus food and provide generous contributions. The rescued and donated food travels to our warehouses, where it is carefully sorted and stored by volunteers and staff.
Your donations are vital in keeping our operations going. They help cover the cost of storage, sorting, transportation, and distributing food safely and efficiently across Ventura County. Every dollar ensures that nutritious food quickly reaches neighbors in need, with 92 cents of each dollar going directly to meal programs.
How We Calculate Cost Per Meal
Our “meals per dollar” calculation reflects the donated food we secure and Food Share’s operational costs, including collecting, storing, and transporting food. By dividing the total amount of food we distribute by operational expenses, we estimate pounds per dollar. With each meal being roughly 1.2 pounds, we ensure that every dollar donated stretches as far as possible.
Rising Challenges with Inflation
Rising costs due to inflation affect every part of our mission: food prices, transportation, storage, and even volunteer supplies. This makes it harder for families relying on Food Share to access the necessary meals. With continued support, we can keep serving the growing number of Ventura County neighbors who turn to us each month for a helping hand.
Where does the food provided by Food Share come from?
Donations
Food Drives
Gleaning
Bulk Purchasing
Government Programs
Feeding America
How Does Food Share Store and Distribute the Food?
Food Share owns and operates 46,000 square feet of warehouse space. The warehouse includes a 1,176 square foot cooler and 1,176 square foot freezer, 1 loading dock and 15 trucks.
The warehouse receives an average of 36,000 pounds of food a day.
The freezer is 17,640 cubic feet, which is equivalent to 1,176 household freezers.
The cooler is 17,640 cubic feet, which is equivalent to 802 household refrigerators.
Food Share trucks drove almost 100,000 miles in FY 2018.
How Do Agencies Get Food From Food Share?
AGENCY SHOPPING
Agencies “shop” at the Food Share warehouse throughout the week. For agencies who receive USDA commodities, their additional monthly reports determine the types and quantities of government commodities that are added to their shopping orders. To ensure safety of shoppers, Food Share staff, and to preserve the high quality of available foods, shoppers are required to follow specific shopping guidelines and the Warehouse Code of Conduct during their shopping appointments and open shopping periods.
How does an Agency get food out to people in need?
Food Pantries (or agencies) are locations in the community that often serve other needs. Medical centers, schools, churches and senior centers often are centered populated area of Ventura County and often have communication tools to spread the word about availability of food. Days and times are determined by the agency who also manage volunteer shifts and space.
