January cover story: Hunger issue continues after the holidays

The winter holidays are over. Time to put away the decorations for another year.

Unfortunately, it is also the time of year when everyone believes the issue of hunger in the 805 region and the rest of the nation has been solved thanks to all those turkey drives, those canned-food barrels placed strategically at area supermarkets and the other food drives that seem to reach their peak during the holiday season.

Think again.

While the holiday food drives have made a dent in making the season a little brighter for some, hunger insecurity remains a major issue in the region year-round.

And with pending federal cuts to the nation’s food stamp program, possibly starting as early as January, the need will only increase.

“These cuts will mean people (many of them being seniors and children) getting less help from the government and increasingly relying on the Foodbank and partner agencies to fill the gap,” Erik Talkin, CEO, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, stated in a media release.

More than 47 million food stamp program participants nationwide were impacted when $5 billion was cut from the federal budget when the economic stimulus package expired in November, Foodbank reported.

If cuts are approved in the pending federal “farm bill” legislation, there could be an additional $8 billion in cuts to food stamp benefits for the poor over the next 10 years, according to the recent New York Times editorial “More Hunger for the Poorest Americans.”

In 2013, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County distributed food and resources to support 8.5 million meals — half of which was fresh produce — through its 300-plus community program network.

This past year, one in four people living in Santa Barbara County received food support from the Foodbank, totaling more than 102,000 unduplicated individuals including working families and seniors. More than 44 percent of those served were children.

While the economy has been steadily improving since the depth of the Great Recession, hunger has also stubbornly increased in Santa Barbara County during the past few years, Foodbank officials reported.

In the last four years, the Population in Poverty has gone from 12 percent to 16 percent, the number of Children in Poverty increased from 14 percent to 20 percent and the number of food-insecure adults rose from 37,000 to 56,000 – an increase of 66 percent, according to data compiled by the California Food Policy Advocates.

Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County reports that one in six county residents, about 44,000, are food insecure, which is defined as households that are uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they have insufficient money or other resources for food. That need grew by 25 percent in in 2013 over the prior year, officials reported.

In 2012, Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County distributed more than 5.4 million pounds of food.

Meanwhile, FOOD Share, Ventura County’s Food Bank reports that nearly 102,400 people in Ventura County do not know where they will find their next meal, according to a 2013 study by Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization.

As a result, FOOD Share has used the holidays to help it restock the shelves that are critical to help feed the 74,500 people who seek its help each month.

The agency collected a total of 81,200 canned goods during the second annual CAN-tree Collection event, Dec. 6-8, at The Collection at Riverpark in Oxnard.

“We are thrilled with the results of the second annual CAN-tree Collection food drive as we’ve almost doubled the number of donations from last year,” FOOD Share president and CEO Bonnie Weigel stated in a media release.

The centerpiece of the event was The Collection’s own can tree made of 10,000 cans donated by Whole Foods Market, and designed and assembled by students of ACE Charter High School, organizers reported.

“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of those in our community who helped make this not only a fun event, but one in which we hope will make a difference for those in need during the holidays,” Leticia Wilson, director of marketing at The Collection at Riverpark, stated in a media release. “Working together with FOOD Share continues to be a wonderful and worthwhile experience.”

Eight schools in the Pleasant Valley School District also stuffed a school bus with 6,250 pounds of food in an effort to help FOOD Share reach its “Tackle Hunger” 200,000-pound food donation goal.

FOOD Share also sought to collect more than $150,000 in monetary donations as part of its Tackle Hunger campaign.

FOOD Share collects and receives food year-round, distributing through more than 162 pantry partner agencies throughout Ventura County, including Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Oak View, Ojai, Oxnard, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Somis, Thousand Oaks and Ventura.

Through its partner agencies, it provides food through multiple programs including Senior Share, which offers supplemental nutrition to nearly 2,000 low-income seniors, home-delivered meals and supplemental groceries through the Oxnard and Ventura Senior Nutrition Programs, and the Kids’ Farmers’ Markets, offering nutrition education, healthy recipe preparation and taste testing and a farmers’ market free fresh produce “shopping experience.”

In May 2013, FOOD Share established a partnership with Southern California Gas  —  the Southern California Gas CARE Program — which provides a further source of support to individuals and families who are struggling to make ends meet.  The CARE program provides relief through discounted gas utility bills for individuals and families.

Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County is seeking to meet the needs of county residents through its GleanSLO that connects farmers and backyard growers with volunteers to harvest fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste.

“Nutrition is top priority at the Food Bank; last year over 48 percent of what we distributed was fresh produce,” officials reported. “This number includes 100,000 pounds harvested locally by our GleanSLO program.”

It works with more than 225 nonprofit agencies including groups such as homeless shelters, food pantries and senior centers, along with direct distribution programs: Cal Fresh/Food Stamps, Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP), Food for Children, Harvest Bag, Healthy Food for Local Families, Senior Brown Bag and Summer Feeding Service Program (SFSP). Its main warehouse is in Paso Robles, with a second location in Oceano.

To meet the needs during the holiday season, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County held a successful 2013 Turkey Drive, officials reported.

A total of 2,075 turkeys and 2,000 chickens were distributed this Thanksgiving season, the agency reported. In addition, $26,100 was raised by the community and was matched with $25,000 by Wells Fargo, Foodbank officials reported.

“It is touching when people come together to help one another, especially during the holiday season,” CEO Talkin said. “Foodbank extends our sincere appreciation to Wells Fargo and the entire community for their generous support of this year’s Turkey Drive.”

“At Wells Fargo, we are always eager to support our community,” said Mark Corella, Wells Fargo district manager. He added  his personal thanks to all the community members who made contributions during this matching campaign. “The Foodbank is making a difference in so many lives, and we are pleased to be a partner in their efforts.”

Through its partnerships, Foodbank distributes food though a network that includes Boys & Girls Clubs (countywide), Casa Esperanza Homeless Center, Catholic Charities, Community Action Commission, Domestic Violence Solutions, Girls Inc., Nipomo Food Basket, Pacific Pride Foundation, People Helping People, Salvation Army, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, Santa Ynez Senior Citizens Foundation, Transition House and Unity Shoppe.

In addition to providing nutritious food throughout the year to nonprofit partners, Foodbank holds an annual Agency Leaders Summit calling together representatives of it’s 300 member agencies and welcoming other community nonprofits. The summit serves as a platform to discuss poverty, hunger and health, and how these issues are interconnected, collectively brainstorming and identifying ways to solve issues around hunger in the region, Foodbank officials reported.

This year, the Foodbank also introduced AgencyExpress, a secure “online shopping” platform for member agencies that is increasing the efficiency of food orders and distribution logistics. The new system provides local agencies with a real-time inventory list and ordering system, and order histories; and in turn, it enables Foodbank to be more responsive and minimizes the time previously spent on administration and paperwork.

For the fifth consecutive time, the Foodbank has recently been given a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities. Only 4 percent of the charities rated have received at least five consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Foodbank of Santa Barbara County outperforms most other charities in America.

 

Food donations still needed after the holidays

> To contribute to Foodbank of Santa Barbara County’s “Holiday Food & Funds Drive,” go to www.foodbanksbc.org, go to https://secure.qgiv.com/for/fosbc/ to make a secure online donation or call 805-967-5741, ext. 104. Donations can also be mailed to: Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, 4554 Hollister Ave., Santa Barbara, CA 93110 or Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, 490 W. Foster Road, Santa Maria, CA 93455. Checks may be made payable to the Foodbank.

> To donate to Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County, go to https://www.slofoodbank.org/make_a_donation.php. Donations can also be mailed to: Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County, P.O. Box 2070, Paso Robles, CA 93447. Make checks payable to Food Bank Coalition

> For every dollar donated, FOOD Share, Ventura County’s Food Bank is able to purchase $7.15 of food. To make donations, go to http://www.foodshare.com or call 805-983-7100. Donations can also be mailed to: FOOD Share Inc.,   4156 Southbank Road, Oxnard, CA 93036