Major Food Bank Says It Is Desperate for Food, Money : Emergency: The heavy rains and federal cutbacks put pressure on the nonprofit agency as more people seek assistance.

Faced with severe cutbacks in federal funds and a recent surge in the number of people seeking emergency assistance, Ventura County’s largest food bank has found itself in desperate need of both money and food.

Food Share, a nonprofit organization, feeds about 127,000 residents a month. But heavy rains during the past month have resulted in a 10% increase in the number of people seeking help.

“Most of the people whom we have helped are either homeless or farm workers,” said Food Share Director Jim Mangis. “We have a desperate need to increase our food supply so we can respond quickly if the rain continues.”

Officials with the Moorpark Food Pantry, a Catholic organization that distributes food for Food Share, said they alone have seen a 35% increase in the number of people seeking food in the last month.

“A lot of farm and construction workers have come to us in need of food,” said Ruben Castro, manager of the Moorpark facility. “Because of the rains they are out of work and a lot of them have large families.”

Since the storms began, Food Share has supplied the Red Cross emergency shelters with more than 12,000 pounds of snack foods, drinks, diapers and paper products.

Although Food Share has not turned anyone away, Mangis said, the agency is having a hard time keeping up with demand. Mangis said he also lacks space to store more food.

“Today we were forced to turn down 45,000 pounds of fresh broccoli because we don’t have a refrigerator to hold it,” Mangis said. “It’s really sad to see that happen.”

To increase the size of its facility, Food Share is seeking grants and donations that would allow it to expand its 1,200-square-foot Oxnard warehouse to more than 9,000 square feet, Mangis said.

In addition, the agency wants to raise funds to purchase at least two refrigerators, each able to hold 130 pounds of food, Mangis said.

“Having a facility to store the food is as important as having the food,” he said. “So increasing our storage area is a big priority right now.”

Because of recent rainstorms, the agency has also lost about $110,000 worth of fresh produce, said Dan Williams, a spokesman for Food Share.

Several farmers throughout the county allow the agency to harvest surplus crops or to keep leftover produce not suitable to be sold at market.

To complicate matters, the federal government cut 75% of its emergency food funds last October--decreasing Food Share’s $11-million budget by $1.8 million a year, Mangis said.

To raise money, the agency will sponsor a hike against hunger next month. Participants will walk from Ventura to Santa Barbara.

This is the fourth annual hike sponsored by the organization. Last year’s hike raised $12,000, and Mangis said the organization hopes to raise $20,000 this year.