a note from ceo bonnie weigel

SUMMER 2015
Gleaner
THE
Inside this Issue
FOOD Share and 1 Family 1 Restaurant
SVUSD Summer Meal Program
Mobile Pantry and Community Center
FEED SoCal
140th Annual Ventura County Fair
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A NOTE FROM CEO BONNIE WEIGEL
“
We can deliver food
to the most poor
and vulnerable areas
of the county in a
way that stewards
resources effectively,
doing so one
neighborhood at a
time.
Summer days are finally here after an incredible spring that has brought so many wonderful
resources and changes to FOOD Share! These continuing opportunities allow FOOD Share
to continue its upward swing in sparking change in our county. And it is with gratitude
and excitement that I offer this update and call to action, as we continue to move forward
collectively as a community who believes no one should go hungry here in our bountiful
county. Your interest and investment of time, funds and voices in our community has sparked
a movement in Ventura County seeking to transform the lives of families, seniors and children
who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
FOOD Share has worked hard to facilitate, engage, and partner with peer non-profits,
businesses, foundations, schools, government, faith based, and service organizations
throughout our county to meet the needs of county residents. Continuing a steadfast
commitment to the welfare of our community, FOOD Share has created long-lasting
partnerships and moved us forward in meeting our collective mission of community and
family stability. Together, we are getting nearer each day to closing the Missing Meal Gap so
that all who are hungry can have access to healthy food.
And now with the introduction of FOOD Share and Friends mobile pantry and community
center we have a transformational vehicle, literally and figuratively, that will make it possible
to expand our services with a solution-based approach. We can deliver food to the most poor
and vulnerable areas of the county in a way that stewards resources effectively, doing so one
neighborhood at a time. FOOD Share and Friends mobile pantry and community center offers
a way to mobilize together with partners in government, organizations, schools, businesses and
like-minded individuals to bring together the needed tools to open the doors to family stability
and self-sufficiency like never before.
I write you today to invite you to join FOOD Share in its efforts to build the trail from Service
to Solution. With your partnership we have been able to move mountains and feed thousands
of our neighbors and family and friends. As FOOD Share embarks on this new chapter, I look
forward to hearing your feedback and invite you to join FOOD Share in embracing this new
tool for our Ventura County hungry.
FOOD SHARE AND 1 FAMILY 1 RESTAURANT
Dining out with family and friends is often a special
experience to enjoy a meal and connect with loved ones,
without the cooking and cleanup. Unfortunately, many of
the thousands who reach out to FOOD Share’s network of
pantries are unable to afford the luxury of a meal out on
the town. 1 Family 1 Restaurant partnered with FOOD
Share in 2013 with the common goal of providing food
to our local community in need. But more than that, this
partnership recognizes the importance of the meal as a
family focal point to celebrate and take joy in the moment
together. 1F1R partnered with FOOD Share to provide
vouchers to our pantry partners for distribution to the
food-insecure. These meals are donated by restaurant-goers
and restaurant owners alike and are treated like any other
meal served, with dignity and grace.
Ventura County local mother, Pixie, turned to her
local pantry years ago. Before becoming a successful
entrepreneur, Pixie worked full-time and would come home
to an empty cupboard. “The moment that the woman at
the food pantry took us into a room and had us do intake,
I felt completely comfortable. There was no judgment from
her. When it was my turn, the gentlemen who was handing
out food was phenomenal, they were so welcoming and I
wasn’t judged. Food-insecure families look like you and
me. There is not a specific person that food-insecure looks
like. For those of us who are not food-insecure, we forget
it is totally feasible that, ‘I’m going to go out here and eat
Meet you Around the
Kitchen Table
here, instead of eating at home …’ It would be very exciting
for some children that they get to go somewhere that they
drove by but never got to go into. The chance to have a meal
at a restaurant is an unattainable dream for less fortunate
families. I see it as a gift, an opportunity.”
Local restaurants with the commitment to their
community have signed up to work with FOOD Share and
1F1R and are providing wonderful teams and faces to meet
their diners. Anup Rimal, owner of Himalaya Restaurant in
Ventura, was one of the first to join! “People are just happy,
they get this opportunity to go to this restaurant and dine
with their families. Their kids are happy.”
“
… this partnership recognizes the importance
of the meal as a family focal point to celebrate
and take joy in the moment together.
Did you know that children who eat together with family at dinner will hear 8
million more words by the time they start school, than those who don’t? They’re
also less likely to develop eating disorders and have trouble in school. It’s hard to
imagine that the simple act of eating and conversing together as a family
delivers all these benefits but it’s true, according to research
shared by Ventura County Director Jackie Griffin. Ventura
County’s newest collaboration was begun by Griffin and
includes the Ventura County Library, FOOD Share, Ventura
YMCA, VC Public Health and an eating disorder specialist.
These partners have teamed up to create an innovative
program aptly named, Around the Table, which provides
an opportunity for families to experience the benefits for
themselves. In a series of weekly sessions, families begin
with a group physical activity and a topic discussion.
They then set tables and eat dinner together as a
family. The evening ends with family story time.
Guest chefs will prepare meals each session, and
best chef honors will be awarded at the end of the
program. Families are currently being recruited
for the program, which will begin in September.
These sessions encourage both children and
parents to recognize the benefits of eating and
talking together as a family.
If you need help, or know someone who does, please call FOOD Share. We are here to help.
MOBILE PANTRY AND COMMUNITY CENTER
FOOD Share and Friends mobile pantry is here, and its eyes are on the community prize. With the introduction of
FOOD Share and Friends mobile pantry, FOOD Share is excited to see the wheels on the ground and reaching our food
deserts throughout the county. Together with pantry partners, local business and organizations as well as government
partnerships, FOOD Share is grateful to steward the introduction of mobilized pantry efforts in our county.
The Port of Hueneme’s final phase of their multi-layered project designed to reduce air emissions at The Port has made the
FOOD Share and Friends mobile pantry possible. FOOD Share is grateful to the Port for providing the mobile pantry.
FOOD Share will be responsible for the operation of the pantry for upcoming years.
Who will it serve?
The CSU Channel Islands School of Social Business, working with
FOOD Share, studied census and other data to identify areas of the
county with notable deficiencies in health, housing, employment
and food security. The resulting research identifies census tracts
where the most vulnerable residents live. FOOD Share and Friends
mobile pantry will visit these areas to distribute food, provide
nutrition education, and refer residents to other needed services.
The neighborhoods and their local leaders are working hard
to communicate the availability of the mobile pantry as a new
resource for its residents.
How will it operate?
FOOD Share and Friends will provide site visits to locations in need
and work with local community leaders and available pantry partners
to provide ongoing food distributions. In partnership with our local
county offices, Ventura County Public Health will also be onsite to
provide nutrition education lessons during the food distribution and
provide samples of the healthy recipes of food available as part of
the distribution. FOOD Share and Friends will also work with other
collaborators to provide additional resources to communities.
What other resources will be provided?
FOOD Share and Friends is currently working with multiple
partners, both non-profit and for-profit alike, to provide additional
services often needed in these communities. Examples include:
financial literacy education, health screenings, and more.
How can I participate or help?
FOOD Share and Friends will need manpower and resources
like any other pantry in our county. Volunteer spots are available
to facilitate with nutrition education, set-up and clean-up,
distribution of food, and community outreach. Funds will be
needed to gas the truck and secure permitting at each site.
Continued outreach for partnerships in our communities to bring
awareness and partnerships are vital to the success of FOOD Share
and Friends. Simply said, we can’t do it without the support of all
partners at the table. And we thank you so much for your help and
willingness to start the conversation at your own tables!
www.foodshare.com
2015
FOOD SHARE INC.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Bryan Murphy, EXECUTIVE CHAIR
Executive Vice President, Farmers Group, Inc.
JOIN US!
We hope you will join us for the
140th Annual Ventura County Fair!
Joe Schroeder, VICE CHAIR
President/CEO, Ventura County Credit Union
Michael Coulson, TREASURER
Retired, Finance Executive
Monica White, SECRETARY
Regional Director of Marketing, Ventura County Star
Barbara Vass
Director of Marketing, Dole Food Company
Chris Dryden
Ventura County Regional Manager,
Mission Avocados
Randolph Hinton
President, RH Wealth Advisors
Carmen De Arcos Gonzalez
District Manager, Wells Fargo
Tim Noonan
VP of Finance and Planning,
Transonic Combustion, Inc.
True to this year’s theme, A Country Fair with Ocean Air, FOOD Share will feature a number of
hometown activities to for the whole family! Head over to the Junior Livestock Auction, August
14th, where the hundreds of animals are auctioned to benefit our local 4-H, FFA and Grange
members and FOOD Share! And don’t forget to visit the FOOD Share booth in the Ag Building
for fun activities to take home! (p.s. keep an eye out for FOOD Share’s food drive where you can
bring in food and nab your discount on fair tickets!)
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Beverlee Parker
VP Human Resources, Driscoll’s
Cecilia Rexford
Retired, Food Bank Administrator
Denise Sutton
Owner, TWIW Insurance Services (Tolman & Wiker)
Doug Wood
General Manager, Crowne Plaza
President & CEO: Bonnie Weigel
Gleaner Editor: Jillian Wade
FOOD Share, Inc.
4156 Southbank Road
Oxnard, CA 93036
TEL: 805-983-7100
FAX: 805-983-2326
www.foodshare.com
http://www.facebook.com/
FoodShareofVenturaCounty
Mission Statement:
FOOD Share is dedicated to feeding, nourishing
and educating the hungry of Ventura County,
educating the community on those who are
hungry and why, and advocating a reduction of the
root causes of hunger.
Vision Statement:
FOOD Share innovatively and efficiently gathers
and distributes food, serving those in need
through a network of charitable agencies. Our
dedicated volunteers and staff fight hunger
with compassion and commitment to ensure
that people have ready access to nutritious
food. FOOD Share responds to community
emergencies quickly and effectively.
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http://www.linkedin.com/
company/food-share-ofventura-county
Go Green
Please call
or e-mail if you’d like us to
communicate with you via e-mail
and save on printing and mailing
costs: [email protected] or
805-983-7100, ext. 122.
July 9, 2015
August 5-16, 2015
September
September-January
September 5, 2015
September 12-13, 2015
September 12, 2015
October 8, 2015
October 24, 2015
December 4-6, 2015
December 13, 2015
VC Wine Trail
Ventura County Fair
Hunger Action Month
Tackle Hunger Food Drive
Visayan Association
Surf Fishing Tournament
Ventura Art and Street
Painting Festival (formerly
known as Arts in the Park)
Ventura Vintage Rods
Tackle Hunger Kick-Off
Breakfast
Lexus Lace Up Running
Series
CAN-tree Collection
Santa to the Sea
Please visit our website at www.foodshare.com
for information on all these events and more!
Want to partner with FOOD Share on an event?
Contact [email protected]
www.foodshare.com
15-VENCA-0615-N