Demand for food goes up at Conejo Valley food bank

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers APPRECIATES THE GENEROSITY OF OTHERS- Manna executive director John Gorham stocks a shelf in the Manna pantry in Thousand Oaks earlier this week. The food bank needs donations of food. Readers can also help by voluntarily subscribing to the Thousand Oaks Acorn. Please see the response form on page 4. Manna, the local food bank, has kicked off its "Save our Summer" campaign to fill its shelves for what's expected to be its most demanding summer ever. And the Thousand Oaks Acorn will help by donating 40 percent of its voluntary subscription drive.

"Summer is going to be brutal for us," said Manna director John Gorham.

The food bank as a rule gets most of its donations in the wintertime around the holiday season, but the demand actually increases in the summer when children are out of school.

"We desperately need help," Gorham said.

Underprivileged children get free breakfasts and lunches when school is in session, but in the summer those same children are at home, looking into bare cupboards for nourishment. That is, unless their parents can go to the local food bank and return home with bags of groceries and other necessities, Gorham said.

The food bank also serves those who've recently lost their jobs and are, for the first time, in financial need. About 100 new clients a month have been coming to Manna. The majority are people who don't know what else to do, Gorham said.

"We expect the need to increase," he said.

About 80 percent of new clients are middle-class people who've never sought assistance before, he said.

The nonprofit food bank also needs more volunteers.

The timing for the voluntary subscription drive couldn't have been better. The form is on page 4. Forty percent of the $25 fee will go to Manna, $10 per subscriber.

Manna at 3020 Crescent Way, just south of Thousand Oaks Boulevard, distributes food to those in need from 1 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Donations of food can be dropped off during those same hours and also from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Manna especially needs diapers, peanut butter, jelly, cooking oil, 1-pound boxes of sugar, boxed cereal, canned chili, toilet paper, canned pasta and canned vegetables—especially peas and corn. Shampoo and conditioner are also needed. Fresh garden fruits and vegetables are appreciated, as are cash donations.

Manna encourages schools, churches, community organizations and individuals to join with them in collecting food.

For more information, call (805) 497-4959 or go to www.mannaconejo.org.

Gorham expressed appreciation to the Thousand Oaks Acorn for donating over a third of its proceeds from the voluntary subscription drive.

Money gives Manna the ability to purchase items that are in short supply, he said.

The mailing address for Manna of Conejo Valley is P.O. Box 1114, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360