a note from ceo bonnie atmore

FALL 2015
Gleaner
THE
Inside this Issue
2015 Ventura County Fair
FEED SoCal
Staff & Agency Spotlights
Calendar of Events
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A NOTE FROM CEO BONNIE ATMORE
FEED. LEAD. STRENGTHEN.
demonstrations and nutrition information as well
a time to learn about other partners and services
that can help those we serve stabilize their homes
and families.
You have been with us each step of the way.
STRENGTHEN. More than at any other
time we are sitting and visiting with those we serve
and those that make it possible for us to serve
and listening to them. We know that the more
we learn, see, and share with the diverse groups
of stakeholders the better we can serve those that
need us most. This year alone we will need $4.8
million dollars in operating cash revenue along
with another $16.2 million dollars in donated food
and other resources and service to ensure we can
provide the 12 million pounds or 10 million meals
that will meet the current needs of those we are
serving each and everyday together.
Three words that connect the dots on the why,
what and how we are working together to solve
hunger here in our county.
FEED. Our goals in the 2015-2016 fiscal year
“
We understand
and are
grateful for
the deep
commitment
you have to
supporting
our efforts to
solve hunger
here in Ventura
County.
are to provide 12 millions pounds of food to our
hunger insecure friends and neighbors. That is just
little over 10 million meals. 10 million meals that
will provide the supplemental nutritious food to
our hardworking folks who visit a pantry partner
of ours at some point during the week. It also
includes those hungry friends and neighbors who
we serve directly through our programs like the
mobile pantry and Kids Farmers Markets at our
local Boys and Girls Clubs. Who are we helping;
the faces of our working poor look just like you
and I. The difference for them today is at some
point during the month those we serve will have
to make a decision about how to spend the limited
dollars they have left before the next pay day. Put
gas in the car or buy food?
LEAD. Our pantry partners join us in our
commitment to provide access to bags of food
and meals to these friends and neighbors of ours.
They are more committed than ever in helping
us. We are also out on the road more, thanks to
our partners at the Port of Hueneme – Oxnard
Harbor District and Wells Fargo. Our FOOD
Share and Friends mobile pantry is out on the
road delivering fresh and healthy food, cooking
We share our goals with you because we
understand and are grateful for the deep
commitment you have to supporting our efforts
to solve hunger here in Ventura County. We do
it by both ensuring there is access to fresh and
healthy food but that we are also helping those
we serve connect the dots to other programs and
services so that they can have stability in their
homes giving them that much needed safety net
of support.
Thank you for being committed to our
organization and the mission we steward with
your resources each and every day.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
2015 Ventura County Fair
Big thanks to everyone who visited FOOD Share’s booth, stopped by the
livestock auction or said hello during the parade. Not only was FOOD
Share the beneficiary of a wonderful food drive during the Feed the
Need day, but our volunteers were also busy planting seeds with kids of
all ages and spreading the news about hunger in our county.
FOOD Share received many animals at the Junior Livestock auction that
translate to funds for our local youth programs and precious protein in
FOOD Share’s warehouse.
We were able to chat with two local youths about their
participation in this year’s Livestock Auction, siblings, Billy
and Lizzy Westerling, became involved with 4-H through their
mother. “She taught us how to raise the animals and got us excited
about it.” Educating the public on animals was a big motivator for
this special team of siblings who enjoy, “being with the animals
and showing the animals to all the people at the fair.”
Both Billy and Lizzy’s respect and care for their steers was
apparent and both are so very proud to know their animals are
going to fighting hunger in Ventura County.
FOOD Share received many animals at the Junior Livestock
auction that translate to funds for our local youth programs and
precious protein in FOOD Share’s warehouse.
FEED SoCal
This year’s event raised
over 1.2 million meals
that go right back to our
local pantries!
This year’s FEED SoCal was a huge success thanks to our wonderful Ventura County
neighbors and local Vons, Albertsons and Pavilions. Taking place across four
counties from the Inland Empire to Ventura County, this year’s event raised over
1.2 million meals that go right back to our local pantries! New additions this year
included KABC’s Bri Winkler who broadcasted the event all day. Working with
volunteer partners from Bank of America, Ventura County Credit Union and our
own FOOD Share volunteers, we were able to collect thousands of pounds of food
across the month of June. Thanks to everyone who participated!
If you need help, or know someone who does, please call FOOD Share. We are here to help.
Nutrition Tip
STAFF SPOTLIGHT:
“
Vice President
of Development,
Jerusha Schmalzel
I will be working
hard to increase
donations so that
we can continue to
provide meals to
those we serve and
close the meal gap
for the remaining
food insecure
families in our
community.
This summer, FOOD Share welcomed Vice
President of Development, Jerusha Schmalzel
to the FOOD Share family. In between meeting
donors and volunteers we sat down with
Jerusha to talk about her new role at FOOD
Share and in Ventura County!
Where are you coming from?
I’m coming most recently from Tucson, Arizona
where I served as the Director of Development for
the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. I am a native
Arizonan but excited to experience the incredible
cultural and climate of Ventura County.
What is your role at FOOD Share?
At FOOD Share, I will be leading the fundraising
efforts that enable us to serve our more than
75,000 hungry friends and neighbors. Working
with our individual and institutional supporters,
I will be working hard to increase donations so
that we can continue to provide meals to those
we serve and close the meal gap for the remaining
food insecure families in our community.
What has been your favorite part about
joining the FOOD Share team thus far?
I have loved getting to know the FOOD Share
staff and volunteers. They are truly the most
dedicated and passionate people I’ve ever met
and Ventura County is so fortunate to have this
team working for them.
Looking for a way to pump up the produce during the holidays?
Stephanie Armstrong, Program Coordinator at FOOD Share,
suggests adding seasonal fruits and vegetables to your favorite
holiday dishes. Here are some in-season ingredients for
inspiration: artichokes, Brussels sprouts, corn, squash, beets,
berries, peaches, pears, and plums – to name some! Try this
recipe which adds berries to classic avocado salsa:
Berry-Avocado Salsa with Churro Chips
Makes 8 servings (1 serving = 1 tortilla)
INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
8 whole wheat flour/corn tortillas
2 teaspoons of sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ berries of choice
1 ½ cups finely chopped ripe avocado
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon minced seeded jalapeno pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3/8 teaspoon salt
PREPARATION:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare chips, brush oil evenly over one side of each tortilla.
Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over oil-coated
sides of tortillas. Cut each tortilla into 12 wedges; arrange
wedges in single layer on two baking sheets. Bake at 350° for
10 minutes or until crisp.
3. Combine avocado and remaining ingredients; stir gently to
combine.
Serve with chips.
AGENCY SPOTLIGHT: LARRY NORDYKE
In the spotlight this season is Larry Nordyke from
South Coast Fellowship in Ventura. Larry worked
for Coca Cola for 37 years as a warehouse manager
both in Oxnard and Ventura. He was let go the
last week of November, 2001. The first week of
December of 2001 he began volunteering at South
Coast Fellowship, serving about 19-20 families,
and he’s been there ever since.
Larry recalls, “Sometime later there was an
opening for the Pantry Director. I applied and
became the new director. The first thing I changed
was to pre-pack food bags by family size. We
have bags organized from 1-9 people or more.
We now serve 130 clients a week and divide the
distribution days by last names.
Like at so many other pantries, volunteers are
critically important to South Coast Fellowship.
“Our volunteers come here and work really hard,”
By Cecilia Perez
said Larry. “They know exactly what to do and
treat everyone with dignity and respect.”
Asked to share a story about a memorable
client, Larry paused and smiled. “A few years
back, a recent widow was despondent and
came here for food, said Larry. “We told her
we would feed her every week until she was
able to get back on her feet. One day she just
came in to volunteer and has been coming
ever since. There are so many of our volunteers
who began the same way--in our line--and then
end up sticking around to volunteer.” South Coast
Fellowship now has about 30 volunteers and more
keep arriving.
“The greatest people in the world are our
volunteers,” said Larry. “I think I’m right where
God wants me to be and I’ll keep doing it for as
long as I can.”
www.foodshare.com
“
I think I’m right
where God wants
me to be and I’ll
keep doing it for
as long as I can.
2015
FOOD SHARE INC.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Bryan Murphy, EXECUTIVE CHAIR
Executive Vice President, Farmers Group, Inc.
Joe Schroeder, VICE CHAIR
President/CEO, Ventura County Credit Union
Tim Noonan, TREASURER
VP of Finance and Planning,
Transonic Combustion, Inc.
Barbara Vass
Director of Marketing, Dole Food Company
Chris Dryden
Ventura County Regional Manager,
Mission Avocados
Randolph Hinton
President, RH Wealth Advisors
Carmen De Arcos Gonzalez
District Manager, Wells Fargo
Beverlee Parker
VP Human Resources, Driscoll’s
Doug Wood
General Manager, Crowne Plaza
President & CEO: Bonnie Weigel
Gleaner Editor: Jillian Wade
FOOD Share, Inc.
4156 Southbank Road
Oxnard, CA 93036
TEL: 805-983-7100
FAX: 805-983-2326
JOIN US!
We hope you will join us for the
4th annual CAN-Tree Collection
We hope you will join
us for the 4th annual
CAN-Tree Collection
featuring more trees,
more activity and more
action than ever before.
The 2014 CAN Tree
Collection at Riverpark
in Oxnard featured
over 220 trees from
local businesses,
organizations and
families generating
thousands of pounds
of food for our Ventura
County food-insecure
families, seniors and
children.
New this year and
benefitting FOOD
Share, is the new event,
Collection Uncorked,
CAN Tree Collection generates thousands of pounds of
featuring bites and
food for our Ventura County food-insecure
pairings provided by
families, seniors and children.
Ventura County Wine
Trail. This year’s event will take place December 3-6 located at the
center of Oxnard’s Collection at Riverpark.
Interested in sponsoring a tree, volunteering to build a tree or collecting
food this holiday season? Call FOOD Share 805-983-7100 or visit our
website at foodshare.com to find out how you can help today.
www.foodshare.com
Mission Statement:
FOOD Share is dedicated to feeding,
nourishing and educating the hungry of
Ventura County, educating the community
on those who are hungry and why, and
advocating a reduction of the root causes
of hunger.
Vision Statement:
FOOD Share innovatively and efficiently
gathers and distributes food, serving those
in need through a network of charitable
agencies. Our dedicated volunteers and
staff fight hunger with compassion and
commitment to ensure that people have
ready access to nutritious food. FOOD
Share responds to community emergencies
quickly and effectively.
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http://www.facebook.com/
FoodShareofVenturaCounty
http://twitter.com/
foodsharevc
http://instagram.com/
foodsharevc
http://www.linkedin.com/
company/food-share-ofventura-county
Go Green
Please call
or e-mail if you’d like us to
communicate with you via e-mail
and save on printing and mailing
costs: jwade@foodshare.com or
805-983-7100, ext. 122.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
October 24, 2015
Lexus Lace Up Running
Series
December 4-6, 2015
CAN-tree Collection
December 13, 2015
Santa to the Sea
Please visit our website at www.foodshare.com
for information on all these events and more!
Want to partner with FOOD Share on an event?
Contact events@foodshare.com
www.foodshare.com
15-VENCA-0915-N