Ventura County Board of Supervisors supports FOOD Share’s hunger alleviation efforts

VENTURA, Calif. - Sept. 28, 2015 - PRLog -- The Ventura County Board of Supervisors recognized September as Hunger Action Month, a nationwide campaign to mobilize the public to take action to battle hunger.

FOOD Share’s President and CEO Bonnie Atmore, staff and the regional food bank’s partners were there in full force donning orange—the official color of Hunger Action Month—and orange spoons and balloons to celebrate the occasion.

This year, the FOOD Share team came equipped with new statistics updating the county officials on the growing need in Ventura County and how the leading Southern California food bank is continuing its mission to feed the line and shorten the line. Today, FOOD Share has 194 pantry partners and programs throughout the county that help distribute the food bank’s goal of 12 million pounds of food—or 10 million meals—per year. Local growers, ranchers and farmer partners from the agricultural community collectively donate more than 4.6 million pounds of fresh produce per year, while retail grocery partners donate more than 3.7 million pounds of food. The rest of the food FOOD Share needs to deliver 12 million pounds per year come primarily from food drives.

“2015 is our year of gratitude,” stated Atmore. “This year, we have expanded the number of pantry partners and programs to nearly 200, further reaching those in need. And with the addition of the FOOD Share and Friends mobile pantry, we are now able to connect with our friends living in food deserts. In addition, our non-profit partners, as well as public and private agencies, are able to also deliver a host of services to help bring sustainability to the lives of Ventura County’s most vulnerable children, families and seniors.”

For more information on Ventura County’s hunger alleviation efforts for Hunger Action Month, visit www.foodshare.com.

PHOTO CUT LINE: FOOD Share and Board of Supervisors celebrate Hunger Action Month

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 its distribution site; 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 Share, SENIOR Share, Nutrition Education, Community Market, SoCal Gas CARE Program, ART Share 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 and Twitter.