December 2022

To read this newsletter in Spanish, please click here.

Dear Emmanuel,

Happy holidays! I hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and finding joy amid what is often the busiest time of the year.

One of the biggest years in our history is coming to a close this month. Simply put, we did more than ever to uplift, serve, and connect throughout Ventura County in 2022. We owe our success to your support and to the tireless dedication of our staff members and volunteers.

I encourage you to consider making a year-end gift to CAVC. Every gift made now through the end of December will directly support the families and community members we serve now and in 2023.

Your generosity is critical as we face funding gaps with state and federal funding we received this year being slated to end. We cannot sustain the growth of our programs and our level of care for Ventura County without you.

Make your gift online at ca-vc.org or by clicking below this section. You can contact Catalina Solis, our longtime staff member and NEW Development Coordinator, for assistance with your gift.

In this newsletter, you'll read about a recent grant we received from No Kid Hungry for our Food Program infrastructure and staff. You'll also read about our Homeless Services team providing Thanksgiving meals and being invited for a recent speaking engagement. Keep reading to learn how you can meet us every First Thursday in Downtown Oxnard and meet our newest board member.

I wish you and your loved ones continued good health and safety.



Susy Lopez-Garcia

Executive Director

Community Action of Ventura County

This month, we are raising money to sustain and grow our services in 2023. 2022 was one of our busiest years to date. On one hand, it reflects our staff's deep commitment to eradicating poverty in Ventura County. On the other, it shows how many families and community members are struggling to live comfortably and with dignity.

More Ventura County residents than ever - nearly 1.5 households out of 100 - received care in some form from us this year.

Thanks to increased government funds we received, we expanded our programs and services. However, these funds are ending as the pandemic wanes, so we need your help to help us sustain the level of care we can provide to those in need.

Join in our year-end campaign and make a gift today by clicking the button below. Every dollar counts towards our efforts to do more than ever for Ventura County in 2023. With you, we can continue to uplift families, serve communities, and connect with our partners.

We are proud to share news that we received a $30,000 grant from No Kid Hungry! No Kid Hungry is a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world.

The grant from No Kid Hungry will strengthen our Food Program's infrastructure. The grant will be used to pay for more hours for our staff, to purchase more fuel for our trucks, and for a new conveyor belt for our weekly Community Market.

We are blown away by No Kid Hungry's generosity in awarding us this grant as we do more than ever to eliminate food insecurity in Ventura County.

On Monday, November 21st, we treated our unsheltered clients to a Thanksgiving lunch with homemade sandwiches and cranberry sauce. The lunch was on top of our normal showers and laundry services we provide. Our very own John Garcia, Homeless Services Navigator, cooked the turkey and prepared the sandwiches. Our Food Program provided refreshments and chips.

Thank you to our team for coming together and bringing a warm meal to our unsheltered friends and neighbors!

We want to thank Arlene Carter, who heads the Oxnard/Port Hueneme Christian Women's Connection, for inviting our co- workers John Garcia and Anthony Camper from our Homeless Services Program to their end-of-year Luncheon. The Luncheon was hosted at the River Ridge Golf Club in Oxnard on December 1.



Both John and Anthony presented at the Luncheon, and we also received generous donations like blankets, warm jackets, and hygiene products for our unsheltered clients. We enjoy working with and appreciate our faith-based community for consistently supporting the most vulnerable.

As we continue to Do More for Ventura County in 2023, we're counting on Cat to support our donors and partners like you!

Cat has taken on a new challenge as our Development Coordinator over the past four months as we continue to grow. Whether she is hosting the latest tour of our headquarters, attending and outreaching at community events, or saying thank you to donors who support us financially, Cat is an indispensable member of our team and champion of CAVC across the county. There's no one better for the role of growing our development team than her!

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 our newest member, Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios!

Jeannette was appointed to the Ventura City Council in 2021, representing District 4. She is an active member of numerous community organizations and nonprofits in the city. We are thrilled to have Jeannette serve on our board and we know she will bring energy and leadership to our continued fight against poverty in Ventura County.

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.