More than 81,200 canned goods were collected during Ventura County FOOD Share's "Tackle Hunger" CAN-tree Collection food drive held at The Collection at Riverpark in Oxnard. Courtesy photo.
VENTURA COUNTY — Eight schools in the Pleasant Valley School District stuffed a school bus with 6,250 lbs of food in an effort to help Ventura County FOOD Share reach its “Tackle Hunger” 200,000-pound food donation goal, the organization reported Thursday.
All of the food donated through Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 2 will help to restock the food bank’s shelves that are critical to help feed the 74,500 people who seek FOOD Share’s help each month.
Those interested in coordinated their own food drives can contact Karen Jensen via email at kjensen@foodshare.com or by calling 805-983-7100, ext. 135.
As part of its Tackle Hunger program, Ventura County FOOD Share and The Collection at Riverpark collected a total of 81,200 canned goods during the second annual CAN-tree Collection event (Dec. 6-8). More than 103 can-trees made with 700 canned goods each lined the plaza, along with a 14-foot can-tree built by students of ACE Charter High School with 10,000 canned goods donated by Whole Foods Market alone.
“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.”
“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 the release. “Although CAN-tree weekend has come to an end, the fight to meet our goals for Tackle Hunger still goes on and we hope the community stays inspired to continue its support so no one goes hungry during the holiday season.”
FOOD Share is also seeking to collect more than $150,000 in monetary donations as part of its Tackle Hunger campaign.
From now until Sunday, Dec. 22, Cumulus Radio’s B95.1 will continue to broadcast live from Holiday PODS® container decorated by The Vines at Riverpark at The Collection and collect monetary and non-perishable food donations.
About FOOD Share:
The food bank distributing millions of pounds of food each year to those in need throughout Ventura County, 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.
FOOD Share provides food to more than 74,500 people each month countywide through its partner agencies and multiple programs. Programs include the Senior Share that provides 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 2011, FOOD Share partnered with Ventura County’s Human Services Agency to provide expanded CalFresh enrollment assistance. CalFresh, formerly called food stamps, is the largest federal nutrition assistance program that provides supplemental nutrition assistance to eligible Ventura County residents.
In May 2013, FOOD Share established a partnership with Southern California Gas to further expand and support the hungry individuals the food bank serves. The Southern California Gas CARE Program 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.
For more information: call 805-983-7100 or go to http://www.foodshare.com