November 2022

To read this newsletter in Spanish, please click here.

Dear Emmanuel,

November is a whirlwind month. It marks the culmination of election season; it brings about Thanksgiving; and it's the last month before the true craziness of the holiday season. 

November is also the time where we begin to look back on the year that's been. And, we have so much to celebrate! 2022 was the year in which we did more than ever to uplift, serve, and connect with Ventura County communities. In this newsletter, you'll learn about how our programs assisted more families, and how our staff reached more communities than ever.

You'll also have an opportunity to support our work in 2023 as we continue to do more, even as funding we had this year will end in January. You can make your gift online at our website, ca-vc.org.

You'll also read a recap of our first event since before the pandemic, CAVC Up Close. We brought folks up close and personal to our services and shared important information about the future of Ventura County with Dr. Jamshid Damooei of Cal Lutheran. It was a great event!

I wish you and your loved ones continued good health and safety as we enter into this holiday season.



Susy Lopez-Garcia

Executive Director

Community Action of Ventura County

Our first public event in over 2 years was a rousing success!

Last week, we welcomed 45 guests to "CAVC Up Close" at our Oxnard headquarters. There, CAVC staff showed our guests up close how our Weatherization, Homeless Services, and Food programs work - there was even a conveyor belt out to help pack boxes of produce! We recreated the impact of our work - and the help Ventura County families receive - in a small-scale way.

We then hosted Jamshid Damooei, PhD, professor of economics at Cal Lutheran University, for a presentation on the region's current economic situation. Professor Damooei illustrated how difficult the economy is for many in Ventura County and offered solutions to promote economic development and investment in our communities. Click the button below for copy of his presentation.



We're so grateful to Professor Damooei and our guests for a wonderful event!

2022 has been one of the busiest years in our history. We've done more than ever to uplift, serve, and connect with Ventura County and the communities and families that need our help.

We were able to start new important programs and expand our services thanks to government funding. These funds are ending soon, but Ventura County families will still need help paying water bills, receiving fresh groceries, and staying in their homes.

We need your help to sustain the 2022 level of care and service we provided Ventura County as we head into 2023. Join us in our year-end campaign as we continue to uplift, serve, and connect with Ventura County. Make your gift online at ca-vc.org.

2022 has been marked by rampant inflation. It is already expensive to live in Ventura County, and many families in our communities are struggling more than ever to make ends meet. Even just keeping the gas, electricity, and water on in their homes is a struggle as utility bill payments have skyrocketed across California.

But 2022 has also been marked by a dynamic duo that helps these families everyday. Our HEAP - Home Energy Assistance Program - and Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) have eased the burden on Ventura County by providing payments to eligible families that help them pay their utility bills.

Through HEAP and LIHWAP, we've assisted over 1,500 Ventura County households with average payments of over $450 per family.

That's a dynamic duo making Ventura County families safer and more secure in their homes.

On October 25th, our Homeless Services team hosted a meetup alongside a group of dedicated volunteers to put together hygiene kits to distribute to our unsheltered neighbors. Together, the group made over 50 kits that included razors, cough drops, soap, and feminine products. 

Our Homeless Services team hopes to host more of these meetups and continue to find ways to serve unsheltered individuals as best they can. Contact us if you or your organization would like to get involved and make a real difference in our neighborhoods.

Every other Tuesday, we welcome a semi-truck to our campus that delivers pallets of fresh produce. These pallets are unloaded and stored with the help of volunteers so that over 17 Ventura County-based organizations can pick them up for distribution. We've become a food hub for organizations who look to help families in need of fresh food.

It's not always easy! There are days when cars block access to our parking lot, so our volunteers have to make multiple trips back and forth. Or, there are days when rain means we have to find a way to get the semi-truck into our warehouse through tight spaces. 

Nevertheless, our Food Program staff and volunteers make it happen, just like they do at our Community Market every Thursday. It's how we're on pace to move nearly 1,000,000 pounds of food onto family dining tables across Ventura County this year. 

The CAVC Board of Directors advances our mission across Ventura County as a collective of like-minded individuals across private and public sectors who are committed to strengthening pathways out of poverty in all of our communities. This month, we're introducing you to James Boyd.

Sector Represented on Board of Directors: Low-income sector.

Occupation: Program Assistant for Ventura County Healthcare Agency’s Healthcare for the Homeless/One Stop Programs

How long have you been a member of the CAVC Board of Directors?

Over four years.

Why did you join the CAVC Board of Directors?

While providing services at Community Action, I realized what a valuable asset it is to the community, and I wanted to be a part of an organization that assisted those and most need.

What inspires you most about CAVC?

As a child growing up, I remember my mother going to this location to get assistance; back then it wasn’t Community Action, but I remember how helpful they were to our family and how they assisted us with food and other essentials. In addition, that left a lasting impression on me.

What is one program or service CAVC offers that is particularly meaningful to you, and why?

All the programs that Community Action are wonderful, but the ones that stand out to me and most are the food pantries which provide essential needs to those seeking food. Also, showers and mail service for those in most need who do not have a home to live in and are able to take showers and to have a fresh start.

Describe a day in your life.

As a program assistant, my day is filled with assisting those in most need by coordinating services and outreach, particularly medicine care and shelter to the most vulnerable in our communities. The days can be quite full and fulfilling.

What is one goal you have had for yourself in 2022?

To keep learning try to be the best I can be every day.

Our Vision:

We envision a community successfully lifting people out of poverty.

Our Mission:

Helping our community establish pathways out of poverty through advocacy, partnerships and services that promote dignity

and self- sufficiency.