Jessie is a client at Still Water’s Pantry in Simi Valley. I live with my husband and we also have one of our older granddaughters living with us, along with her son and her daughter. My husband is a massage therapist and I’m a manicurist so work has been off and on. We had to figure things out. How to, you know, pay Peter without robbing Paul. When I started coming to the pantry I was just excited....
Gina is a client at Still Water’s Pantry in Simi Valley. I’ve lived in Simi Valley for approximately 15 years. I’m a single mom of five kids, three biological and two that I’ve adopted. I started coming to the food pantry three or four years ago. At one stage my ex-husband and I had a very successful business. When he left, I had no funds to take care of my children. I’m not homeless, so I felt like...
Food Share is honored to have been recognized as a Central Coast Best Place to Work by the Pacific Coast Business Times for the second year in a row. The publication conducts an annual survey among employees in the Tri-Counties and then crunches the data to determine the best of the best. During the height of the pandemic, Food Share created an employee engagement committee that continues to meet monthly, open...
We’re thrilled to welcome Yissel Barajas, Chief Human Resources Officer for Reiter Affiliated Companies (RAC) to Food Share’s Board of Directors. As part of her role at RAC and her personal passion, Yissel participates in community projects that impact the farm worker community. The daughter of farm workers, she has a personal commitment to health, housing, and other issues impacting the quality of life of the farm worker community. As part of her commitment to her...
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...
Nicole’s Story Nicole is a student at Moorpark College taking her prerequisites before transferring to a 4-year college. She has been visiting Ruben Castro Charities (RCC), one of Food Share’s network of pantry partners, both to collect food for her family and to work as a volunteer. Photo for illustration purposes only. “When I returned to school, I quit my job, but that left my family of five very short of money. I was able to contribute to...
Staff Spotlight - Jenny Gamez Jenny is Food Share’s Office Administrator, and the cheery face you’ll see greeting you if you visit us. She has worked at Food Share for a little under three years. Why do you work at Food Share? I’m here because I am for the mission 110%. I see the people who come to our offices looking for food and the stress on their faces. Hunger is not something...
