FOOD Share Wins Morgan Stanley Award to Expand Program Delivering Nutritious Meals

May 21, 2013 - PRLog -- OXNARD, CA—May 20, 2013— Food Share today announced a $50,000 grant from Morgan Stanley to fund its School Pantry Program, a child hunger initiative that helps to make sure that low-income families have a readily accessible source of health and nutritious food to prepare at home.

The local award is the latest phase of Fill the Plate, Morgan Stanley’s long-standing partnership with Feeding America, the nation’s leading hunger-relief charity.  In total, Morgan Stanley has committed more than $13 million for the Feeding America network to distribute millions of meals to children and families across all 50 states.  As part of that initiative, Morgan Stanley will award more than $1 million each year for the next four years to local food banks like Food Share to launch, expand and sustain critical childhood feeding programs.

“We are thrilled to receive this important grant from Morgan Stanley to fund our efforts to deliver more nutritious meals to children and families,” said Bonnie Weigel, president and CEO of FOOD Share.  “What’s extraordinary and groundbreaking about this award is that we were able to choose how to use the funds in a way that best matches the nutritional health needs of the Oxnard community.”

“Giving back to the communities where we live and work is one of Morgan Stanley’s core values,” said Bradley J. Dykes, Brand Manager Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Oxnard. “As Morgan Stanley employees in Oxnard, we are proud of our Firm’s grant to Food Share, especially since so many of us are also long-time volunteers at this important community organization.”  

Nationwide, child hunger is a critical problem. According to the US Department of Agriculture, about 16 million children are at risk of going hungry. About one in five children under the age of 18, don't have access to enough nutritious food to learn, grown and thrive.

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 Brown Bag 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.

For more information: call (805) 983-7100 or go to http://www.foodshare.com.