National Letter Carrier Drive Exceeds 100,000 pounds

Ventura County’s largest regional food bank, FOOD Share announced a donation of 100,755 pounds of food from the Ventura County Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food  Drive on May 9. The donation will provide food and groceries to more than 40,000 people served by FOOD Share each month.  

Donations were collected from homes across Ventura County by Letter Carriers and delivered to FOOD Share on May 9. Volunteers from Montecito Bank & Trust were at postal centers in Oxnard, Ventura and Thousand Oaks to assist letter carriers in unloading mail trucks.

Participating postal agencies included:

Santa Clara Post Office in Ventura                              8,350 lbs.

Wake Forrest Post Office, Ventura                            34,730 lbs.

Oxnard Main Post Office                                            28,845 lbs.

Thousand Oaks Main Post Office                              28,830 lbs.

“FOOD Share is grateful to the generous Ventura County community, our local Letter Carriers and Montecito Bank & Trust for helping to end hunger in Ventura County,” said Bonnie Weigel, CEO of FOOD Share. “With the need for food increasing, the more than 100,000 lbs. will help fill our shelves and provide healthy food to many Ventura County families.”

The Stamp Out Hunger program, which involves Letter Carriers from across the U.S., provides assistance to the one in eight Americans who struggle with hunger. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 36.2 million Americans live in hungry households. Children are most affected, with one out of three needing nourishment.

About FOOD Share

A major 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 to more than 150 partner agencies throughout Ventura County.

Its Brown Bag and Snack Attack programs provide supplemental nutrition to about 1,800 low income seniors through 32 agencies and healthy nutritious after school snacks to approximately 1,800 children though 12 agencies countywide and provides food to more than 40,000 people each month. Information: (805) 983-7100 or www.foodshare.com.

Interview Contacts:

Bonnie Weigel

CEO, FOOD Share

805-983-7100 x111

bweigel@foodshare.com

Media Contact:

Consortium Media Services

PR@Consortium-Media.com

(805) 654-1564

Tina Vervoorn, ext. 117

Melissa Healy, ext. 116

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