FOOD Share, Port of Hueneme, Wells Fargo introduce new mobile pantry program

FOOD Share and Friends will begin servicing community in April
By: FOOD Share of Ventura County
 
 
FOOD Share and Friends launch event
FOOD Share and Friends launch event
VENTURA, Calif. - March 26, 2015 - PRLog -- Compassion, community, gratitude and initiative were the heart of this week’s introduction of the new FOOD Share program, FOOD Share and Friends.

Ventura County dignitaries joined FOOD Share President and CEO Bonnie Weigel, as well as the regional food bank’s staff, donors, volunteers and supporters, to get a first glimpse of the vehicle that will deliver food and support services to people living in underserved areas of the region who don’t have nearby access to one of FOOD Share’s 180 traditional food pantries and programs.

FOOD Share and Friends was made possible through a partnership with the Port of Hueneme and Wells Fargo. FOOD Share Chairman of the Board Bryan Murphy stated, “This program will enable us to go to places we haven’t been before. Without the Port of Hueneme and Wells Fargo, this simply would have remained a dream.”

Although FOOD Share currently serves 74,500 individuals in need, Weigel brings attention to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study which shows that there are actually about 95,200 people in Ventura County who are food insecure. Weigel says, “There are so many misconceptions about hunger in our county that we need to dispel. There are still people out there who need our help, and believe it or not, almost all of the people we serve work multiple jobs, full-time jobs, and just cannot make ends meet.”

In addition to providing nutritious foods and healthy cooking demonstrations, FOOD Share is collaborating with a host of social service providers, such as Ventura County Health Care Agency and the County of Ventura Human Services Agency, to connect people with a network of essential services through FOOD Share and Friends that include: healthcare, dental health and employment training. Susan Haverland, FOOD Share’s Vice President of Programs and Services, announced the mobile pantry will begin serving the community in April, visiting two sites per day, three days per week.

“FOOD Share and Friends’ vision is so much deeper and profound than delivering food,” explains Reza Razzaghipour, Wells Fargo Regional President of Pacific Coast Community Banking. “What you see is a vessel for hope—it’s going to bring people to stability and self-sufficiency. At Wells Fargo, we pledge to send our financial experts out to these communities to educate the underserved on financial literacy. We are proud to partner with an organization that has a major impact on the community.”

About FOOD Share:

More than 35 years ago, eight citizens performed a good deed by distributing food to those who were in need underneath a Ventura bridge. The early philanthropic movement quickly formed into what is now Ventura County’s regional food bank, FOOD Share, which has grown from serving a few hundred hungry people per month to 74,500 people. Today, staff and volunteers distribute more than 10 million pounds of food annually from two warehouses; more than 180 partner agencies, which include neighborhood and church food distributions and soup kitchens; as well as hunger assistance programs. FOOD Share’s programs provide healthy nutrition and education to children, families and seniors, which include: Kids’ Farmers Market, SENIOR Share, Nutrition Education, Community Market, SoCal Gas CARE Program and more. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, FOOD Share is a member of the Feeding America network, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization. For more information about FOOD Share, visit www.foodshare.com. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/FoodShareofVenturaCounty) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/FoodshareVC).

###

Photo Cut Line: FOOD Share and Friends launch event.

Interview Contacts:

Bonnie Weigel

CEO, FOOD Share

805-983-7100 x111

bweigel@foodshare.com

Media Contacts:

Consortium Media

805-654-1564

Denise Bean-White, ext. 111

dbw@consortium-media.com

Alicia Rutledge, ext. 116

alicia@consortium-media.com

Contact
Alicia Rutledge
***@consortium-media.com
End
Source:FOOD Share of Ventura County
Email:***@consortium-media.com Email Verified
Tags:FOOD Share and Friends, Wells Fargo, Port of Hueneme, Bonnie Weigel, Food Pantries
Industry:Food, Non-profit
Location:Ventura - California - United States
Subject:Products
Account Email Address Verified     Account Phone Number Verified     Disclaimer     Report Abuse
Consortium Media Services News
Trending
Most Viewed
Daily News



Like PRLog?
9K2K1K
Click to Share