Back in May, Monica White, Jennifer Caldwell, Chief Development Officer; Pam Castro, Agency Relations Manager, and Ed Skains, Facilities Coordinator competed on the Game Show Networks’ season five of America Says! The invitation to compete came via a fellow Feeding America food bank and was a great way to put the fun in fundraising! The four headed down to a studio in Burbank, and the “Food Share Squad”...
Food Share Ventura County was recognized this month by Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, for the excellent care and appreciation the organization has shown to its staff for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came during Feeding America’s annual conference in Louisville, Kentucky, and was part of Feeding America’s “Network Celebrations,” a recognition of food banks that have performed in outstanding ways. Food Share is one of just...
Local Students Innovation Helps Homeless Population A group of enterprising 7th and 8th graders from Cabrillo Middle School have partnered with Food Share Ventura County in a project designed to make life a little easier for the county’s unhoused population but that could have an impact far beyond. Saanvi Joshi, Hendrix Lowder, Jane Kim, Jude Curtis, Izzy Quiroz, Maddie Wicks, Maverick Cheatham, and Aarana Khanavkar, all members of the school’s “Rusty Sailors” Robotics Club, are participating in the...
Staff Spotlight - Laura Thomson, Facilities & Food Safety Supervisor Laura, who first got to know the Food Share as a volunteer, has been responsible for ensuring our three warehouses are safe and sanitary for the past two and a half years. She led the charge in securing an AIB Certification, which involves a rigorous food safety inspection, ensuring that Food Share received the highest possible grade – Recognition of High Achievement – Superior. Why do...
Traci's Story Traci has volunteered at the pantry throughout the pandemic. Traci is a volunteer at Still Water Pantry and has been one of a small group working throughout the pandemic to feed the increasing numbers of people seeking help. “I’m a survivor of domestic violence. It left me with PTSD and I have a lot of anxiety and depression. I ended up homeless on the streets for six months until I found a shelter in Santa Monica....
Pantry Partners in Action! Still Waters Pantry at Shepherd of the Valley Church, Simi Valley Nancy (right) with volunteer, Traci When Nancy Mason retired from her role as a principal in the Simi Valley School District, the last thing she expected was to take on a new and equally challenging role. But Nancy’s leadership and logistical skills, plus her long-standing involvement with the Still Water Cafe, a hot-meal site operated by the Shepherd of the Valley Church, made...
Everyone to the table! If you follow us on social media you may have seen posts about the #Everyonetothetable campaign, launched by the CAFB in October 2021, which advocates for action against hunger by raising awareness about the underlying issues and scale of the problem across California. Did you know, for instance, that as of September 2021, almost a third of Black Californians and more than a third of Latinx families are food insecure? Or that...
Spotlight on the California Association of Food Banks Food Share is a long-standing member of the CA Association of Food Banks (CAFB), an organization that works with 41 member food banks across the state to ensure they have the tools and resources they need to feed our communities in need. The organization also works to increase access to CalFresh, California’s food stamp program; creates partnerships with the agriculture industry to secure excess produce and reduce...
Have you Followed the Can?! Canned foods are a BIG DEAL to Food Share and the people we serve. Canned foods stay fresh for many months and even years; they help us to provide more variety in what we offer to our agency and pantry partners, plus, donated cans mean that we don’t have to buy so much food on the expensive open market. The importance of every single can that’s donated via a food drive is the subject...
Safe Passage Foundation Food Share is partnered with a network of 190 pantry partners and agencies that operate across the county. One is Safe Passage Youth Foundation, founded in 2012 by Tim Hagel, an educator and the Former Chief of Police for Thousand Oaks and Fillmore. Safe Passage provides youth mentoring and hunger-relief programs for K-12 grade kids and their families. The organization is committed to providing equal access to...
