Food Share of Ventura County

What Food Share of Ventura County does

Food Share of Ventura County (legal name FOOD Share, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food bank founded in the 1970s and headquartered at 4156 Southbank Road in Oxnard, California. The organization operates as the primary food bank for Ventura County, distributing approximately 21 million pounds of food annually through a network of 335 distribution sites and 200+ pantry partners, serving more than 250,000 residents — equivalent to more than 25% of the county's population. Its service portfolio includes the USDA-funded Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) for 3,500+ seniors monthly at 34 locations, a Kids' Farmers' Market, Kitchen-Free Bags for those without cooking facilities, a gleaning program that recovered 101,643 pounds of produce through 184 events in 2024, and a Baby2Baby partnership distributing 1.7 million essentials to mothers and children. Food Share is a member of Feeding America and the California Association of Food Banks, and holds an AIB Food Safety score of 980/1000.

The business model is donation- and grant-driven, with three principal revenue streams: individual/corporate donations and event fundraising, USDA and CalFresh government support (USDA funding of $838,000 annually represents ~10% of operating budget, and federal food support equates to ~25% of distributed food), and corporate/foundation grants via matching partners such as the Gene Haas Foundation ($1 = 6 meals) and the Bill & JoAnne Miller Charitable Trust. Pricing is purely unit-based donation tiers ($10 provides 30 meals) with event sponsorships ranging from $1,500 to $10,000+. The go-to-market is a hybrid of community-led (volunteer engagement, word-of-mouth, pantry partner referrals) and event-driven (FED UP Shindig, CAN-tree Drive, March to a Million Meals, Giving Tuesday, Food For Thought tours) channels. The technology stack is conventional nonprofit SaaS — Stripe, MobileCause.com, Classy.org, OneCause, Paylocity — with no proprietary platform or AI/ML capabilities.

A January 2026 capital campaign, "Feeding Our Future," seeks $50 million to construct a new 85,000-square-foot facility in Oxnard that will consolidate three warehouses and double distribution capacity to 40 million pounds annually; $32 million had been raised as of early 2026 against this goal. The capacity expansion is driven by a documented tripling of demand since 2019, an 8-million-pound food rejection in the prior year due to capacity constraints, and surge volumes tied to disruptions in federal nutrition benefits.

Name

Food Share of Ventura County

Legal name

FOOD Share, Inc.

Website

https://foodshare.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Food Share of Ventura County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food bank serving 250,000+ residents annually through 335 distribution sites and 200+ pantry partners, with a $50 million capital campaign to double capacity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Bank & Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Food bank services
• Hunger relief programs
• Emergency food assistance
• Food distribution network
• Community nutrition support

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxnard

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Primary revenue stream from individual donors, corporate sponsors, and fundraising campaigns. Includes direct donations, event sponsorships, and peer-to-peer fundraising.
2. Government Food Programs: USDA food shipments and CalFresh program support. Federal support constitutes approximately 25% of food distributed annually, equating to 5 million pounds. Additionally receives $838,000 annually (10% of operating budget) through USDA programs.
3. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Foundation funding including Gene Haas Foundation matching donations and Bill & JoAnne Miller Charitable Trust matching programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Food Share of Ventura County is a nonprofit food bank that collects, warehouses, and distributes food to food-insecure residents of Ventura County, California. It operates through a network of 200+ partner pantry agencies and 335 distribution sites, providing emergency food boxes, senior nutrition boxes, kids' farmers' market produce, and other direct-to-community food programs. The organization also runs food rescue, gleaning, and volunteer-driven food recovery operations.

Product overview

Food Share of Ventura County operates as a food bank with a distributed network model. The core product is food distribution services through 335 sites and 200+ pantry partners serving 250,000+ residents annually. The organization offers specialized programs including Senior Programs (CSFP) serving 3,500 seniors monthly, Kids' Farmers' Market, Kitchen-Free Bags for those without cooking facilities, and a Gleaning Program that harvested 101,643 pounds in 2024. A major capital initiative (Feeding Our Future) is underway to build a new 85,000 sq ft food bank. The organization also runs signature fundraising events like the FED UP Annual Shindig and March to a Million Meals campaign. A Baby2Baby partnership extends services to include essential items for mothers and children. An Agency Zone portal supports the partner network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Distribution Network Core program that distributes donated and rescued food through 200+ partner pantry agencies and 335 distribution sites to food-insecure residents across Ventura County.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250,000+ individuals fed annually, representing 1 in 4 Ventura County residents
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Feeding AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Share is a member of Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a network of more than 200 food banks. This membership provides access to national resources, best practices, and the ability to leverage collective purchasing power for food acquisition.
• Baby2BabycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Baby2Baby to distribute essential items including diapers, wipes, car seats, and other baby necessities to mothers and children in Ventura County. Distributed 36 car seats and 1.7 million essentials countywide.
• Driscoll'scoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor produce partner donating surplus crops to Food Share's distribution network.
• Baby Root Farm at McGrath Family FarmscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFarming collective donating surplus produce to Food Share's network. Located on 20 acres at historic McGrath Family Ranch in Camarillo. Part of a farming collective committed to community health.
• VCAAA Senior Nutrition GardenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative garden project with Ventura County Area Agency on Aging providing fresh, local, organic produce to older adults. Located next to Food Share headquarters, expanding from half acre to 1.5 acres.
• Beylik FarmsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHydroponic farm donating surplus tomatoes, cucumbers, and other produce to Food Share.
• Safe Passage Youth FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouth mentoring organization operating food distributions and providing meals to 370 enrolled kids and their families. Founded by former police chief Tim Hagel.
• California Association of Food Banks (CAFB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Share is a long-standing member of CAFB, which works with 41 member food banks across California to ensure they have tools and resources to feed communities in need.
• 146th Airlift Wing (California Air National Guard)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCalifornia National Guard unit recognized for service during COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts at Food Share.
• Cooper Kupp (Los Angeles Rams)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNFL superstar and wife Anna attended Thanksgiving turkey drive distribution event, bringing star power to food assistance efforts.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County: A large Southern California Feeding America member food bank with comparable distribution model (pantry partner network, direct distributions, senior programs). Similar mission scope and donor/grant funding model, though serving a larger population.
• San Diego Food Bank: Feeding America member serving San Diego County with a similar multi-channel distribution approach including partner pantries, direct distributions, and senior nutrition programs. Comparable in operating scale, mission, and California-specific federal/state funding dynamics.
• Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services: Northern California Feeding America food bank with a similar mix of food distribution, senior services, and wraparound family services. Directly comparable mission and operating model though serving a different regional market in the same state.
• Food Bank of Santa Barbara County: A regional food bank serving Santa Barbara County, the immediate neighboring county to Ventura. Directly comparable single-county food bank with similar programs (senior food box, gleaning, partner pantry network) and member of both Feeding America and CAFB. Closest geographic and operational peer.
• Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: The largest Feeding America member in Los Angeles County, operating a multi-site distribution model with senior, mobile pantry, and partner agency programs analogous to Food Share. Comparable service structure, significantly larger scale, and same California state policy/funding environment.
• Redwood Empire Food Bank: A Northern California Feeding America member food bank serving Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, and Humboldt counties. Comparable single-state food bank operating model, similar scale, and similar reliance on donations, USDA programs, and CAFB membership.

Broad incumbents

• California Association of Food Banks (CAFB): The statewide association of 41 California food banks including Food Share. Provides state-level advocacy, CalFresh coordination, and shared resources. The institutional peer governing Food Share's state-level operating environment.
• Feeding America: The national network of 200+ member food banks of which Food Share is a member. Provides collective purchasing, USDA food allocation, advocacy, and shared infrastructure. Comparable as the umbrella organization governing Food Share's food sourcing and policy environment.

Emerging players

• Houston Food Bank: One of the largest U.S. food banks, nationally recognized for operational scale and efficiency. Comparable mission and large-scale food distribution model, though operating in a much larger metro area with significantly higher annual poundage.

Regional players

• Community Action of Ventura County (CAVC): A Ventura County-based social services nonprofit addressing poverty, hunger, and homelessness. Operates in the same geographic market and overlapping beneficiary population (low-income families, seniors) but with a broader human services mission rather than food bank specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FoodShareofVenturaCounty
• Xx.com/FoodShareVC

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Food Share of Ventura County