a note from ceo bonnie atmore
Transcription
a note from ceo bonnie atmore
FALL 2015 Gleaner THE Inside this Issue 2015 Ventura County Fair FEED SoCal Staff & Agency Spotlights Calendar of Events Page 2 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 A NOTE FROM CEO BONNIE ATMORE FEED. LEAD. STRENGTHEN. demonstrations and nutrition information as well a time to learn about other partners and services that can help those we serve stabilize their homes and families. You have been with us each step of the way. STRENGTHEN. More than at any other time we are sitting and visiting with those we serve and those that make it possible for us to serve and listening to them. We know that the more we learn, see, and share with the diverse groups of stakeholders the better we can serve those that need us most. This year alone we will need $4.8 million dollars in operating cash revenue along with another $16.2 million dollars in donated food and other resources and service to ensure we can provide the 12 million pounds or 10 million meals that will meet the current needs of those we are serving each and everyday together. Three words that connect the dots on the why, what and how we are working together to solve hunger here in our county. FEED. Our goals in the 2015-2016 fiscal year “ We understand and are grateful for the deep commitment you have to supporting our efforts to solve hunger here in Ventura County. are to provide 12 millions pounds of food to our hunger insecure friends and neighbors. That is just little over 10 million meals. 10 million meals that will provide the supplemental nutritious food to our hardworking folks who visit a pantry partner of ours at some point during the week. It also includes those hungry friends and neighbors who we serve directly through our programs like the mobile pantry and Kids Farmers Markets at our local Boys and Girls Clubs. Who are we helping; the faces of our working poor look just like you and I. The difference for them today is at some point during the month those we serve will have to make a decision about how to spend the limited dollars they have left before the next pay day. Put gas in the car or buy food? LEAD. Our pantry partners join us in our commitment to provide access to bags of food and meals to these friends and neighbors of ours. They are more committed than ever in helping us. We are also out on the road more, thanks to our partners at the Port of Hueneme – Oxnard Harbor District and Wells Fargo. Our FOOD Share and Friends mobile pantry is out on the road delivering fresh and healthy food, cooking We share our goals with you because we understand and are grateful for the deep commitment you have to supporting our efforts to solve hunger here in Ventura County. We do it by both ensuring there is access to fresh and healthy food but that we are also helping those we serve connect the dots to other programs and services so that they can have stability in their homes giving them that much needed safety net of support. Thank you for being committed to our organization and the mission we steward with your resources each and every day. COMMUNITY SUPPORT 2015 Ventura County Fair Big thanks to everyone who visited FOOD Share’s booth, stopped by the livestock auction or said hello during the parade. Not only was FOOD Share the beneficiary of a wonderful food drive during the Feed the Need day, but our volunteers were also busy planting seeds with kids of all ages and spreading the news about hunger in our county. FOOD Share received many animals at the Junior Livestock auction that translate to funds for our local youth programs and precious protein in FOOD Share’s warehouse. We were able to chat with two local youths about their participation in this year’s Livestock Auction, siblings, Billy and Lizzy Westerling, became involved with 4-H through their mother. “She taught us how to raise the animals and got us excited about it.” Educating the public on animals was a big motivator for this special team of siblings who enjoy, “being with the animals and showing the animals to all the people at the fair.” Both Billy and Lizzy’s respect and care for their steers was apparent and both are so very proud to know their animals are going to fighting hunger in Ventura County. FOOD Share received many animals at the Junior Livestock auction that translate to funds for our local youth programs and precious protein in FOOD Share’s warehouse. FEED SoCal This year’s event raised over 1.2 million meals that go right back to our local pantries! This year’s FEED SoCal was a huge success thanks to our wonderful Ventura County neighbors and local Vons, Albertsons and Pavilions. Taking place across four counties from the Inland Empire to Ventura County, this year’s event raised over 1.2 million meals that go right back to our local pantries! New additions this year included KABC’s Bri Winkler who broadcasted the event all day. Working with volunteer partners from Bank of America, Ventura County Credit Union and our own FOOD Share volunteers, we were able to collect thousands of pounds of food across the month of June. Thanks to everyone who participated! If you need help, or know someone who does, please call FOOD Share. We are here to help. Nutrition Tip STAFF SPOTLIGHT: “ Vice President of Development, Jerusha Schmalzel I will be working hard to increase donations so that we can continue to provide meals to those we serve and close the meal gap for the remaining food insecure families in our community. This summer, FOOD Share welcomed Vice President of Development, Jerusha Schmalzel to the FOOD Share family. In between meeting donors and volunteers we sat down with Jerusha to talk about her new role at FOOD Share and in Ventura County! Where are you coming from? I’m coming most recently from Tucson, Arizona where I served as the Director of Development for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. I am a native Arizonan but excited to experience the incredible cultural and climate of Ventura County. What is your role at FOOD Share? At FOOD Share, I will be leading the fundraising efforts that enable us to serve our more than 75,000 hungry friends and neighbors. Working with our individual and institutional supporters, I will be working hard to increase donations so that we can continue to provide meals to those we serve and close the meal gap for the remaining food insecure families in our community. What has been your favorite part about joining the FOOD Share team thus far? I have loved getting to know the FOOD Share staff and volunteers. They are truly the most dedicated and passionate people I’ve ever met and Ventura County is so fortunate to have this team working for them. Looking for a way to pump up the produce during the holidays? Stephanie Armstrong, Program Coordinator at FOOD Share, suggests adding seasonal fruits and vegetables to your favorite holiday dishes. Here are some in-season ingredients for inspiration: artichokes, Brussels sprouts, corn, squash, beets, berries, peaches, pears, and plums – to name some! Try this recipe which adds berries to classic avocado salsa: Berry-Avocado Salsa with Churro Chips Makes 8 servings (1 serving = 1 tortilla) INGREDIENTS: 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil 8 whole wheat flour/corn tortillas 2 teaspoons of sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 ½ berries of choice 1 ½ cups finely chopped ripe avocado 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon minced seeded jalapeno pepper 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice 3/8 teaspoon salt PREPARATION: 1. Preheat oven to 350°. 2. To prepare chips, brush oil evenly over one side of each tortilla. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over oil-coated sides of tortillas. Cut each tortilla into 12 wedges; arrange wedges in single layer on two baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until crisp. 3. Combine avocado and remaining ingredients; stir gently to combine. Serve with chips. AGENCY SPOTLIGHT: LARRY NORDYKE In the spotlight this season is Larry Nordyke from South Coast Fellowship in Ventura. Larry worked for Coca Cola for 37 years as a warehouse manager both in Oxnard and Ventura. He was let go the last week of November, 2001. The first week of December of 2001 he began volunteering at South Coast Fellowship, serving about 19-20 families, and he’s been there ever since. Larry recalls, “Sometime later there was an opening for the Pantry Director. I applied and became the new director. The first thing I changed was to pre-pack food bags by family size. We have bags organized from 1-9 people or more. We now serve 130 clients a week and divide the distribution days by last names. Like at so many other pantries, volunteers are critically important to South Coast Fellowship. “Our volunteers come here and work really hard,” By Cecilia Perez said Larry. “They know exactly what to do and treat everyone with dignity and respect.” Asked to share a story about a memorable client, Larry paused and smiled. “A few years back, a recent widow was despondent and came here for food, said Larry. “We told her we would feed her every week until she was able to get back on her feet. One day she just came in to volunteer and has been coming ever since. There are so many of our volunteers who began the same way--in our line--and then end up sticking around to volunteer.” South Coast Fellowship now has about 30 volunteers and more keep arriving. “The greatest people in the world are our volunteers,” said Larry. “I think I’m right where God wants me to be and I’ll keep doing it for as long as I can.” www.foodshare.com “ I think I’m right where God wants me to be and I’ll keep doing it for as long as I can. 2015 FOOD SHARE INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bryan Murphy, EXECUTIVE CHAIR Executive Vice President, Farmers Group, Inc. Joe Schroeder, VICE CHAIR President/CEO, Ventura County Credit Union Tim Noonan, TREASURER VP of Finance and Planning, Transonic Combustion, Inc. 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 Beverlee Parker VP Human Resources, Driscoll’s 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 JOIN US! We hope you will join us for the 4th annual CAN-Tree Collection We hope you will join us for the 4th annual CAN-Tree Collection featuring more trees, more activity and more action than ever before. The 2014 CAN Tree Collection at Riverpark in Oxnard featured over 220 trees from local businesses, organizations and families generating thousands of pounds of food for our Ventura County food-insecure families, seniors and children. New this year and benefitting FOOD Share, is the new event, Collection Uncorked, CAN Tree Collection generates thousands of pounds of featuring bites and food for our Ventura County food-insecure pairings provided by families, seniors and children. Ventura County Wine Trail. This year’s event will take place December 3-6 located at the center of Oxnard’s Collection at Riverpark. Interested in sponsoring a tree, volunteering to build a tree or collecting food this holiday season? Call FOOD Share 805-983-7100 or visit our website at foodshare.com to find out how you can help today. www.foodshare.com 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. Page 4 http://www.facebook.com/ FoodShareofVenturaCounty http://twitter.com/ foodsharevc http://instagram.com/ foodsharevc 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. CALENDAR OF EVENTS October 24, 2015 Lexus Lace Up Running Series December 4-6, 2015 CAN-tree Collection December 13, 2015 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-0915-N