Category: Food

Bilingual commentary — Beef, Lifestyles, and Life Expectancies

by Community Contributor • February 19, 2026 • Comments Off

Argentine beef has been in the news a lot lately. President Trump recently issued an executive order allowing more Argentine beef to enter our country tariff-free. Presumably, this is a “win” for U.S. consumers who are agitated about affordability.

However, economists are skeptical. They are saying that the impact on consumer prices will be minimal, given that the tariff-free beef represents not even 1% of the total beef supply. So much for the “win.”

In addition, Midwest farmers are not at all thrilled with this gift to Trump’s friend, Javier Milei, president of Argentina, a flamboyant right-wing populist and libertarian. They see Trump’s directive as a slap in the face and a lack of support for the American beef cattle industry.

Bilingual report — Food Share Ventura County building new food bank for the future

by Community Contributor • February 6, 2026 • Comments Off

OXNARD — Food Share of Ventura County announces the launch of Feeding Our Future, a capital campaign project to build a new 85,000-square-foot food bank in Oxnard, CA.With a 12-acre parcel already secured, the new facility is designed to meet the growing demand and strengthen the region’s hunger-relief infrastructure for the long term.

Demand for food assistance in Ventura County has tripled since 2019. Food Share currently serves more than 250,000 neighbors each yearthrough a network of 200 nonprofit and community partners operating 335 distribution sites countywide. Today, Food Share operates out of three separate warehouses to distribute 21 million pounds of food annually.

Ventura County Credit Union announces $500,000 gift to support Food Share’s capital campaign for centralized warehouse

by Community Contributor • February 6, 2026 • Comments Off

VENTURA COUNTY — Ventura County Credit Union (VCCU) on Feb. 5 announced a $500,000 commitment to Food Share of Ventura County to support the construction of Food Share’s new 85,000-square-foot facility. The partnership represents VCCU’s largest investment in the organization and builds upon decades of collaboration through donations and volunteer support.

“This long-term partnership with Food Share aligns with VCCU’s commitment to investing in the community and the organizations that ensure our community has access to essential resources,” said Linda Rossi, President and CEO of VCCU. “We believe in giving back to the organizations that enrich the lives of those we serve, and Food Share’s mission to address food insecurity is critical to the wellbeing of our entire community.”

Community support urgently needed to protect access to medically necessary meals in Santa Barbara and Goleta

by Community Contributor • January 22, 2026 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA & GOLETA — Organic Soup Kitchen is asking the community to step in during a critical moment to help prevent nutrition gaps for low-income residents living with serious and chronic illness.

Over the past year, Organic Soup Kitchen partnered with a local health care provider to deliver medically tailored meals to individuals whose health depends on consistent, nourishing food. That partnership helped many people stabilize their health during periods of acute medical need.

Today, that same funding now typically supports meal access for about 12 weeks. While short-term nutrition intervention is an important part of medical care, many individuals living with cancer, autoimmune disease, and other chronic conditions need ongoing food support well beyond that window.

Southeast Ventura County YMCA served over 34,000 people and provided $439,797 in financial assistance In 2025

by Community Contributor • January 9, 2026 • Comments Off

“Our financial assistance program ensures everyone has access to after-school care, swim lessons, youth programming and facility memberships regardless of income status,” says Ronnie Stone, Southeast Ventura County YMCA president and CEO. “From these foundational YMCA programs to our community outreach, we remain dedicated to changing lives and fostering growth in every generation we serve.”

UCSB — The Current — A stormy ocean voyage yields insights on the global carbon cycle

by Community Contributor • January 7, 2026 • Comments Off

Scientists overcame storms and bureaucratic setbacks to investigate the ocean’s carbon cycle, revealing more about how tiny organic particles, known as marine snow, transport carbon.

My Way Home (Doing business as Ventura County Community Development Corp.) — Thank you for an impactful 2025!

by Community Contributor • January 5, 2026 • Comments Off

As we come to the close of 2025, I want to begin by saying thank you for being part of our community.

We were able to accomplish a lot of great things in 2025, including:
Assisting 265+ families in achieving or preserving homeownership
Providing 1,130+ individuals with free homeownership and financial education
Providing 515+ families with access to free financial coaching
Financing $15M+ in first mortgages for low- and moderate- income families for the purchase of safe and affordable homes
Awarding or facilitating $1.4M+ in down payment and closing cost assistance for low- and moderate- income families

Santa Barbara County Food Action Network (SBCFAN) — CASE STUDY: SATICOY FOOD HUB

by Community Contributor • December 30, 2025 • Comments Off

Nestled in the heart of an unincorporated community to the east of Ventura, the Saticoy Food Hub stands as a beacon of hope in a food desert. Despite being surrounded by vast fields of agriculture, the town of Saticoy has been designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a low-income, low-access (LILA) census-tract, meaning that the area has a poverty rate of 20% or more, and a significant portion of the population lives more than a mile from the nearest supermarket. More than 80% of its households with children rely on SNAP/EBT benefits, and its families struggle to access fresh, healthy, and affordable food.

Without SBCFAN, $500,000 in local food wouldn’t be reaching our communities

by Community Contributor • December 29, 2025 • Comments Off

Santa Barbara County’s food system is powered by many small, community-based organizations working to increase access to fresh food, strengthen local agriculture, and support community health. Yet these organizations face the same challenge: they are deeply embedded in their own neighborhoods but lack the capacity to navigate countywide opportunities, state and federal funding, or cross-regional partnerships. SBCFAN serves as the essential backbone that connects these efforts.Continued investment in SBCFAN ensures that organizations like Route 1 can thrive, scale, and sustain their impact.

SYV People Helping People fulfills a holiday wish for vulnerable families

by Community Contributor • December 23, 2025 • Comments Off

SOLVANG — People Helping People (PHP) teamed up with generous local businesses, volunteers, and community members to create the 31st annual Fulfill-A-Wish Boutique, bringing relief and joy to 144 low-income households.

The festive boutique at Veterans’ Memorial Hall in Solvang on December 10th and 11th supplied everything parents needed to create a warm holiday memory for their children from presents to wrapping paper.

All recipients are clients of PHP who live, work, or go to school in the Santa Ynez Valley or Los Alamos.

Port of Hueneme — DOCK TALK – Community Newsletter – November 2025

by Community Contributor • December 5, 2025 • Comments Off

Your Port helped serve over 500 hot Thanksgiving meals for the unhoused at Casa Lopez.

Bilingual guest commentary by Kaiser Permanente — Holiday Food Safety: Essential tips for preventing foodborne illness

by Community Contributor • November 26, 2025 • Comments Off

Holiday gatherings are a time for celebration, family, and, of course, delicious food. However, with the hustle and bustle that comes with hosting, food safety can sometimes be overlooked. Understanding how bacteria grow and knowing the best practices for selecting, handling, serving, and storing food can help keep everyone healthy during your festivities.

A Season of Giving: Port of Hueneme donates 1,000 turkeys to local families across Ventura County

by Community Contributor • November 26, 2025 • Comments Off

PORT HUENEME — This year, the Port of Hueneme is celebrating a powerful season of giving with a series of hosted and partner-supported community events across Ventura County. In total, the Port helped distribute approximately 1,000 frozen turkeys and holiday meal kits to military families, seniors, farmworkers, local residents, and community members.

Throughout November, Port Commissioners, staff, volunteers, and sponsors came together to support multiple food distributions, each focused on uplifting and empowering families during the holiday season. These efforts included the Drive Out Hunger military and veterans meal giveaway, local community holiday distributions, and nonprofit-supported events across Oxnard and Port Hueneme, ensuring families from all backgrounds could enjoy a holiday meal at home.

Bilingual report — Ventura County Public Health — Tips for practicing safe food handling during Thanksgiving

by Community Contributor • November 26, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA COUNTY — This Thanksgiving, add fresh flavors to your holiday meal while preventing foodborne illness with practical tips from Ventura County Public Health (VCPH) and Ventura County Resource Management Agency Environmental Health Division (EH).

Hundreds enjoy People Helping People’s Thanksgiving Food Distribution in Santa Ynez, Los Alamos Valleys

by Community Contributor • November 24, 2025 • Comments Off

SOLVANG — The Thanksgiving Food Distribution at People Helping People, an annual holiday ritual, is a team effort with 66 students, teachers, PHP staff, seasoned volunteers and new recruits joining together to share the bounty of the Santa Ynez and Los Alamos Valleys with the most vulnerable.

Twenty fourth-grade students from the Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy, led by their teacher Bridget Morrell, got a first-hand lesson in giving by helping organize the can goods donated by public and private schools all over the Valley and bingo players at the Chumash Casino Resort.

Speaker Rivas, Pro Tem Limón, Asm. Bennett, lawmakers visit Ventura County farm

by Community Contributor • November 19, 2025 • Comments Off

Assembly and Senate leaders heard directly from farmers in Ventura County who are innovating and succeeding, and discussed ways to support workers and deliver solutions that continue to uplift the agricultural sector

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas joined Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón, California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass, Assembly Agriculture Committee Chair Esmeralda Soria, Assemblymembers Steve Bennett and Avelino Valencia, and Senator Henry Stern and Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Melissa Hurtado at a Ventura County avocado farm, discussing how the state can continue to support farmers and agricultural innovation as federal policies threaten farmworkers and grocery costs.

Farm Bureau of Ventura County — USDA Damage Survery and FSA Resources

by Community Contributor • November 18, 2025 • Comments Off

With the significant rain we have received and more on the way, the USDA is investigating whether damage has occurred to agricultural operators in our County.

If you have suffered damage to your agricultural crops, structures, land, or equipment due to excessive rain this month please complete the form linked below and return it to the agricultural commissioner’s office:

Drive Out Hunger – Port of Hueneme hosts Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway for Active Military & Veterans

by Community Contributor • November 18, 2025 • Comments Off

PORT OF HUENEME — The Port of Hueneme, California, proudly hosted its annual Drive Out Hunger Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway today, providing 450 frozen turkeys and full holiday meal kits to active-duty military members and veterans from across Ventura County. The drive-thru event reflects the Port’s deep commitment to serving those who serve the nation.

Bilingual report — County of Santa Barbara November 2025 Newsletter

by Community Contributor • November 6, 2025 • Comments Off

If you need food assistance, the County has partnered with the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County to target food distribution efforts throughout the county. These events provide free fresh groceries and produce. Everyone is welcome, and no registration is required.

Santa Barbara County Food Action Network (SBCFAN) — Join Our Monthly Giving Challenge – Every Dollar Counts!

by Community Contributor • October 23, 2025 • Comments Off

Right now, our Central Coast faces a critical task:
we must strengthen our own community resilience and adaptation because our larger government, health, environmental, and economic systems are increasingly unpredictable.

At Santa Barbara County Food Action Network (SBCFAN), we know that when food is produced and purchased locally, our entire community benefits. Farmers, ranchers, and fisherfolk keep their livelihoods, we reduce transportation-caused pollution, and local dollars stay in our community.

But this shift cannot wait. The challenges of climate change, rising costs, poor health, and inequitable access to food are already here. Our community needs action now.

That’s why we’re asking you to join us as a monthly donor.
Your consistent support helps us:

Legacies of Hope Dinner lights a candle for People Helping People

by Community Contributor • October 23, 2025 • Comments Off

LOS OLIVOS — The Legacies of Hope dinner, was an evening of storytelling and community, gathering many of People Helping People’s most dedicated supporters to the Inn at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos on October 17, 2025.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of this year’s Luminary Awards, for those who have given in extraordinary ways to support the mission of People Helping People (PHP).

This year’s recipients are the Becky Barieau and Billy Wathen Family, Feed the Valley with Chef Daisy and Greg Ryan, and the Brady Family.

Southeast Ventura County YMCA launches Thanksgiving Food Drive to Serve 300 Families

by Community Contributor • October 16, 2025 • Comments Off

WESTLAKE VILLAGE — The Southeast Ventura County YMCA is collecting donations to provide Thanksgiving dinners to 300 families facing financial hardship, including families whose children participate in the YMCA’s Find My Genius program and those affected by recent wildfires.

Each family will receive a box filled with food items such as cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, chicken stock and turkey gravy, plus a $60 Ralph’s gift card for a turkey or ham. The YMCA has already identified 100 families to receive Thanksgiving boxes.

SEEAG adds Santa Barbara County Office, student and community agriculture learning programs during 2024-25 School Year

by Community Contributor • September 18, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA — Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) expanded its reach by opening a new Santa Barbara County office and adding student and community learning programs during the 2024-25 school year.

SEEAG is a nonprofit organization with a mission to connect youth and communities to the farm origins of their food and inspire the next generations of agricultural ambassadors.

Museum of Ventura County — Savor the Stories Ventura County’s Past

by Community Contributor • August 6, 2025 • Comments Off

Sept. 4 — Join us for a cocktail hour and three-course fundraising dinner on the Plaza, followed by an oral history presentation from Elena Brokaw, the Barbara Barnard Smith Chief Executive Officer.

Step into a captivating journey back to the Gilded Age, a time of remarkable transformation in Ventura County. All proceeds support the museum’s educational and history preservation initiatives.

DRESS CODE: The Gilded Age/Cocktail Attire
CLICK TO REGISTER FOR TICKETS!

August is hot with live entertainment and food experiences in Downtown Oxnard…

by Community Contributor • August 6, 2025 • Comments Off

On the menu Thurs, Aug 7th:
Rice Balls of Fire
Passion Empanadas
Coyote Elote
Little Tony’s Wood Fired Pizza
Wrapped California
Juarez Tacos
Takumi
Happy Place
El Maíz
Cheesecake Plugg Caffe
J&K Catering
Pupusería La Llama
Jimbo’s Funnel Cakes

UCSB — The Current — Could America break apart? UCSB expert explores the possibility

by Community Contributor • July 9, 2025 • Comments Off

In his latest book, political economist Benjamin Cohen examines the global and domestic pressures driving nations, including the U.S., toward fragmentation.

Explore Lompoc — The Complete Guide to the Sta. Rita Hills Wineries In Lompoc On California’s Central Coast

by Community Contributor • June 26, 2025 • Comments Off

LOMPOC — Tucked between the Santa Rosa and Purisima Hills in western Santa Barbara County, the Sta. Rita Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area) is a world-class wine-growing region renowned for its cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Just minutes from downtown Lompoc, this unique valley offers visitors an immersive experience where maritime breezes, diverse soils, and passionate winemakers converge to produce some of California’s most celebrated wines.

Whether you’re a seasoned oenophile or a casual sipper, this guide will help you explore the best of the Sta. Rita Hills wineries and tasting rooms—many of which are right here in Lompoc, with others tucked into the surrounding hills for unforgettable vineyard experiences.

SEEAG’s Summer Celebration on Aug. 16 to honor local farmers, support ag education and raise funds for proposed new 2.5 acre educational farm campus

by Community Contributor • June 25, 2025 • Comments Off

The Summer Celebration will be held at the Ventura County Agricultural Museum in Santa Paula. Guests will enjoy the flavors of summer with brunch stations, appetizers, and locally crafted beverages curated by Seasons Catering—featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients from SEEAG’s farm partners and artisanal products from Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Attendees can learn about SEEAG’s programs, be the first to view its vision for its new farm campus, explore the museum’s current exhibition, enjoy live music, and participate in a live auction.

Farm Bureau of Ventura County condemns ICE Actions

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA COUNTY — The Farm Bureau of Ventura County, representing hundreds of farmers, ranchers, and agricultural businesses across the region, strongly condemns the actions taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Oxnard this morning. Reports indicate that ICE agents attempted to enter a local packing facility without a judicial warrant, conducted operations in agricultural fields, and initiated vehicle stops on roads frequently used by agricultural workers commuting to job sites.

As working producers and stewards of Ventura County’s $2 billion agricultural economy, we know firsthand that our industry cannot function without the contributions of our workforce. These are people we rely on, respect, and work alongside every day. They are skilled professionals who bring deep experience and an extraordinary work ethic to Ventura County’s fields and ranches. Their labor is the reason our region is recognized as one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world.

Join us outside the Santa Maria Strawberry Festival on April 27 – Justice Can’t Wait

by Community Contributor • April 23, 2025 • Comments Off

This May Day, we’re showing up loud and clear in solidarity with farmworkers at the Santa Maria Strawberry Festival, and we want you there with us.

While the festival celebrates strawberries, it leaves out the very people who make the harvest possible. Farmworkers power a multi-billion-dollar industry in California, yet they’re still fighting for wages they can live on.

This isn’t just about fairness – it’s about people power. And when we show up together, we shift what’s possible through our collective voice and power.

Bilingual report — Santa Paula Cruise Night is back! 2025 Season kicks off in April

by Community Contributor • March 24, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA PAULA — One of Santa Paula’s most cherished traditions, Cruise Night, is officially set to return for the 2025 season, bringing classic cars, great food, and community spirit to the heart of downtown. The Santa Paula City Council recently approved a sponsorship to help cover a portion of event costs, ensuring the continuation of this signature event.

Hosted by the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce, Cruise Night will take place on the first Friday of each month from April through October along Main Street between 8th and 10th Streets. This event, which attracts thousands of visitors from across Southern California, has been a staple of the community since 1998 and continues to provide a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere for residents and visitors alike.

Santa Barbara County Food Action Network — Urgent: Help SBCFAN Weather the Funding Freeze

by Community Contributor • February 28, 2025 • Comments Off

Dear Friends,

The federal funding freeze is impacting nonprofits across the country, and while we thought SBCFAN would be spared—since we don’t receive federal funds—we are now feeling the ripple effects. Many funding institutions have redirected their support to organizations that lost federal funding, leaving gaps for others–including us.

We cannot afford to slow down. We are at a pivotal moment, with ready to launch projects that will create jobs, generate income, and reinvest in our local food economy:

UCSB — The Current — ‘Postdoc scholar (Daniela Soto) receives competitive award to investigate the genetic changes that shaped the human mind’ and more news, events

by Community Contributor • February 11, 2025 • Comments Off

Daniela Soto has earned a prestigious fellowship with eight years of funding to study the evolution of human brains from a genomic perspective.

Guest contribution — American Immigration Council — What happens to U.S. citizen children when an undocumented parent must leave?

by Community Contributor • February 7, 2025 • Comments Off

Across the country, deportation is often discussed as an absolute end. What seems to be missing in the conversation is that for the deported people and their families, it’s the beginning of a new set of legal obstacles that often require advocates on both sides of the border to resolve. It is also the beginning of a new and often hard life chapter.

Triunfo Water & Sanitation District elects new board chair

by Community Contributor • January 29, 2025 • Comments Off

“TWSD has positioned itself well to meet the water needs of our customers,” says Shapiro. “In 2025, we will continue to make progress on the Las Virgenes-Triunfo Joint Powers Authority’s Pure Water Project. There have been significant steps forward in advancing the project, which aims to enhance water sustainability in the region and reduce our dependence on imported potable water.”

Farm Bureau of Ventura County — Petition USDA to fully restore its inspection of avocados from Mexico

by Community Contributor • January 27, 2025 • Comments Off

In late 2024 USDA unilaterally downgraded its inspection obligations by shifting orchard inspections to Mexico. Shortly after, detections of stem and seed weevils in packing facilities increased with APHIS acknowledging that “the number of recent interceptions is notable given the infrequency of such interceptions over the history of the program.”

To date, the Commission has not convinced USDA to reverse course so we are outreaching to newly appointed leadership at USDA (see letter here) and are asking all of you to support the effort.

Guest contribution — American Immigration Council — Trump’s First Immigration Executive Actions

by Community Contributor • January 24, 2025 • Comments Off

President Trump wasted no time trying to radically change the U.S. immigration system. On his first day in office, he issued 10 executive orders that seek to redefine America—excluding everyone from asylum seekers to countless children of immigrants.

In the American Immigration Council’s new fact sheet, After Day One: A High-Level Analysis of Trump’s First Executive Actions, we break down what these policy changes seek to accomplish immediately and what they will mean for immigrants and all Americans in the future.

Read the Analysis

UCSB — The Current — ‘Sara Miller McCune Arts Library opens for study, research and learning resources’ and more news, events

by Community Contributor • January 21, 2025 • Comments Off

Culminating a multiyear effort to unite library collections and services in a central, state-of-the-art space, the newly opened facility also represents the vision of its namesake, a longstanding donor to campus

39th Annual California Strawberry Festival seeks sponsors

by Community Contributor • January 16, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA — The California Strawberry Festival is seeking corporate sponsors for its 39th annual event, scheduled for May 17-18 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

The family-friendly festival drew more than 40,000 visitors from across Southern California in 2024, including attendees from Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Kern, Santa Barbara and Orange counties.

Festival attractions include more than 40 strawberry-themed food and beverage vendors, nearly 150 fine arts and crafts booths, live entertainment on three stages, carnival rides, a children’s Strawberryland and a build-your-own strawberry shortcake tent. Organizers estimate visitors consume 1.5 million locally grown strawberries during the two-day event.

Southeast Ventura County YMCA and California Strong Will Provide Essential Supplies To Fire Victims – Jan. 18 at Proactive Sports Performance

by Community Contributor • January 14, 2025 • Comments Off

WESTLAKE VILLAGE — California Strong, Southeast Ventura County YMCA, in partnership with Proactive Sports Performance, will provide essential supplies to Los Angeles wildfire victims during an event on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Proactive Sports Performance (31425 Agoura Rd, Westlake Village).

Available items will include new clothing, toiletries, bedding, baby and toddler supplies, pet supplies, children’s toys and games, shoes and local business gift cards.

“The Southeast Ventura County YMCA has been providing support through its program California Strong to natural disaster victims since the Woolsey Fire in 2018,” says Ronnie Stone, the YMCA’spresident and CEO. “In December, we provided funds to those impacted by the Mountain Fire in Camarillo.”

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