At Conejo Valley Food Pantry Manna we recently held a Boy Scout Drive. Thirty Boy Scout troops participated as part of this voluntary program that will serve far more than the good will of these scouts. There were 458 scouts involved in collecting food, which included canned goods, packaged foods and toiletry items. Thank you to the Boy Scouts for all of their hard work. Thanks to these young men, Manna has seen its shelves grow with more than 10,898 pounds of food, which equates 21,795 items that...
Jennifer Schwabauer has lived in the Conejo Valley community for nearly half a century--a fact that speaks to her love of and commitment to the area. It's no surprise, then, that her efforts as the Executive Director of Manna are approached with the utmost care and compassion, because she embodies the organization's primary mission--'neighbor feeding neighbor.' Jennifer first became involved with Manna as a child when her 4-H Club, along with five other clubs in the Conejo Valley, planted and maintained...
The 5th Annual Give Back Game is almost here! This year, local organizations, businesses, groups and those who love basketball will gather to compete in this year’s fundraising competition at the Thousand Oaks High School Gym which is located at 2323 N. Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks. The event will be on Saturday, March 29 starting at 3 p.m. Gather the entire family and come out to help a good cause. Participants and spectators will enjoy an afternoon of fun and excitement for the entire family,...
While food donations are always a critical need at any hunger relief organization, there are always critical monetary needs as well. When our community unexpectedly fills those monetary needs, it only reinforces our belief that feeding hungry people in the Conejo Valley is a team effort. The Darden Restaurant Foundation has announced that Manna is one of the grant recipients of their Restaurant Community Grants program. Now in its third year, this program is run by the charitable foundation of the...
In the year 2012, 49 million Americans lived in homes considered "food insecure" households. Of those, 33.1 million were adults and 15.9 million were children. In California, 15.6 percent of all households are "food insecure" households. The USDA places the average cost for feeding a healthy diet to a family of four between $146 and $289 per week. Families in California often pay higher prices for healthy foods than those in other states. The purpose of Manna is to help eliminate...