Local Charities Strive to Feed More Needy With Less Food : Social services: An estimated 1 in 7 county residents receives meals through relief agencies, which are receiving fewer donations.

On Christmas Eve, James Maxwell walked two miles and waited half an hour for food.

He has been homeless and unemployed for about five months, and he sleeps in a tent in the dry Ventura River bottom. He collects bottles when he isn’t doing manual labor for less than minimum wage.

Munching on a cinnamon doughnut at Project Understanding’s drop-in center in Ventura, Maxwell said food is the least of his concerns. He gets meals from Project Understanding’s drop-in center and food pantry, as well as local churches.

“This is a good place to be homeless,” Maxwell said. “People are really generous. You don’t have to worry about getting a meal.”

About 10 other people were waiting with Maxwell outside Project Understanding’s drop-in center Thursday morning when it opened. On Fridays, when the food pantry is open to distribute groceries, even more people are waiting, officials said. Typically, the pantry--which is open three times a week--serves between 125 and 150 families a week, officials said.

This holiday season, charities feeding the poor in Ventura County say they are serving more people than ever before.

Officials at Food Share Inc., the county’s largest food bank, estimate that one in seven people in Ventura County receives meals through a relief agency.

The sluggish economy, which has caused hundreds of layoffs in Ventura County this year, is in turn driving more families to food pantries for assistance, officials said.

Food Share--which serves 251 relief agencies and food pantries in the county--reports that demand has jumped 30% in the last year. About 93,000 people will be fed this month. And while demand has skyrocketed, Food Share officials say, they are down about 2 million pounds of food from last year.

The nonprofit agency, which deals partly in federal commodities, suffered $5 million in cuts from the federal government, said Jewel Pedi, executive director. The recession has also affected donations to the food bank, Pedi said.

Agencies served by the food bank usually supplement those foods with other donations from their individual communities and constituencies.

Manna Conejo Valley Food Bank said demand has increased about twofold this year. In November, 2,604 families received help, said Pauline Saterbo, Manna administrator. Figures are not yet available for December, she said.

The Ventura County Rescue Mission in Oxnard is feeding about 300 to 350 people a day, and the Salvation Army in Ventura expects to serve more than 650 families this month, officials said.

“People are running us down,” said Dee Volz, a spokeswoman for Food Share. “We’ve been scrounging like crazy.”

Officials at the Salvation Army, the Ventura County Rescue Mission and many food pantries scattered throughout the county report that, for the most part, contributions are down and more families are lining up for handouts.

AIDS Care Inc. officials said donations have been up, but demand has also increased dramatically.

“We’re not ahead of the game, but we’re keeping up,” said Edie Brown, executive director of AIDS Care, a nonprofit organization based in Ventura that helps 130 autoimmune deficiency syndrome patients and people infected with the AIDS virus.

Brown said her agency is seeing a significant increase in families, compared to the single gay or bisexual men that it traditionally served. More Latino families are also seeking help, which means stocking her pantry with spicier foods, beans and chilies, Brown said.

A recent food drive by employees at Amgen, a biotechnology company in Thousand Oaks, as well as food collected from shoppers at an area grocery store in recent weeks has helped the AIDS Care food bank get through the holiday season.

Other workers involved in feeding the poor say they are seeing more families and single parents asking for assistance.

“It’s not your stereotypical 60-year-old wino type,” said Jerry Sain, director of development at Ventura County Rescue Mission.

Diane Federele, a volunteer at Project Understanding, said, “We’re getting more people who are what we would call the middle class. They may have lost their jobs overnight and are trying to hang onto their housing and can’t pay for food.”

The changing clientele, however, has not caused a change in the kind of food relief agencies offer.

Canned vegetables, meat and peanut butter are still the most common items, officials said. AIDS Care was the only agency contacted that reported a noticeable change in stock due to changing demographics among its clientele.

Food Share officials said they used to receive a lot of cheese from the federal government, but because subsidies for dairy products have fallen, the high-cholesterol food is not seen as often, Pedi said.

“We’re getting foods that are higher in nutritional value, such as canned pork, applesauce and green beans,” Pedi said.

Pantries in the area say they are stretching their dollars by buying cheaper food and giving out less to individuals. But most say they are not turning people away.

Fillmore Voluntary Services has been the exception, rejecting about 40 people for Christmas baskets this year, said Ramona Golson, executive director.

More families are also being “adopted,” which means paying for a family’s dinner and maybe buying toys for the children.

Manna officials said 175 families were personally helped last year, compared to about 80 last year.

Helping a particular family in need seems more personal to many donors than merely signing a check, said Jeanine Faria, who administers Project Understanding’s food pantry.

“All of us that have jobs are more grateful,” Faria said. “Any one of us could be homeless tomorrow. I think people are realizing they should do more.”