Oxnard’s Community Action of Ventura County raises funds for aid to homeless, poor

Cars lined up along the street at Oxnard’s Community Action of Ventura County by 8:30 a.m. for the 9 a.m. food pantry on Thursday.

About 350 families rely on the boxes of produce, eggs, bread and dairy to help put food on the table each week. Thanks to coronavirus relief packages, the nonprofit has been able to increase the number of families it feeds, up from about 90 a week prior to the pandemic.

As that funding begins to dry up, the organization is raising money to maintain the growth.

Community Action is hosting a 40th anniversary fundraising event May 20 to continue helping the county’s homeless and low-income residents.

Although the nonprofit started in 1965, the event will commemorate the four decades it has operated out of its current building at 621 Richmond Ave. The event will also celebrate executive director Susy Lopez-Garcia’s 40th birthday.

“If we didn’t have (the building) through COVID, we wouldn’t have been able to provide all the food, showers and hygiene,” she said Thursday.

During the fundraiser, Community Action will provide an update on its operations, present awards and serve food and drinks. To buy a ticket or make a donation to help the nonprofit reach its $40,000 goal, visit its website at ca-vc.org.

A lifesaver for clients

The beehive of activity that occurs every Thursday is just another day for the Community Action staff and volunteers.

Every Monday and Friday, the nonprofit offers a variety of services to the area’s homeless population. They can come by for a shower, do their laundry, pick up a bus pass or grab a sack lunch provided by the Ventura County Rescue Mission.

Community Action also offers its downtown Oxnard location as a mailing address to allow homeless residents apply for jobs and benefits or stay in contact with loved ones.

“That can be a lifesaver for our clients,” said Catalina Solis, the organization's development coordinator.

Throughout the week, Community Action will also visit homes and apartments to help lower utility bills.

The organization might weatherize a home, exchange a light bulb or shower head with a more energy efficient one or replace a washer and dryer. Lopez-Garcia said the organization can spend upward of $5,000 making a single home more cost efficient.

Community Action will also pay utility bills to prevent gas, water and electricity from getting shut off.

In 2022, Community Action weatherized 300 homes and made over 2,000 homes more energy efficient, Lopez-Garcia said.

She anticipates Community Action to reach even more households this year as the cost of living goes up.

Out of all its services, Community Action’s food pantry program has seen the most growth since the pandemic.

In the last few years, the organization has had to hire more staff to prepare boxes and organize the warehouse. What once was the job of one part-time employee and a handful of volunteers has grown to include multiple full- and part-time employees.

The organization has also had to purchase a forklift and a second walk in-freezer.

Community Action even sends Doordash drivers with boxes of food to the homes of the elderly and disabled if they can’t make it to the food distribution events.

'This helps out a lot'

William Matlock was one of the first people in line to pick up a box of food on Thursday.

Wearing a leather hat and avoiding moving vehicles, Matlock walked up to Community Action’s warehouse with a tree-branch cane covered in rocks and gems.

He said the food helps him get through the week, though he doesn’t solely rely on it.

Matlock lives out of a recreational vehicle in Ventura with his girlfriend and has picked up a box of food every week since the start of the pandemic.

“They say we’re homeless, but I think home is wherever you make it,” he said.

Samuel Robles has also received a box of food every week for about two years. The Oxnard resident sat in his car as the line vehicles moved ever closer to the warehouse.

By 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, the line of cars stretched around the block.

Robles said he doesn’t use any of Community Action’s other services, but utilizes the food to help fill his refrigerator and pantry.

“Food’s expensive,” Robles said. “This helps out a lot.”

Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard homeless nonprofit to raise funds to continue growth