The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County works tirelessly during the summer season to provide local kids with an abundance of food, cooking lessons, and nutrition education. The Picnic in the Park program, which runs through the summer, supplies lunches and games around the community for the thousands of children who struggle with food insecurity. Santa Barbara County has expanded the Picnic in the Park program this year with more food, donations, and volunteers- and they are always looking for more assistance!
In addition to lunch donations, Santa Barbara locals can show support by participating in the Backyard Bounty program, which gleans over 2,500 pounds of fresh fruits from the backyards of volunteers. The Foodbank loves to collect fresh grapefruits, lemons, avocados, oranges, and tangerines for the kids!
The Teens Love Cooking program took off this summer at Carpinteria Middle School, teaching teenagers to be mindful of the origins of their food, which foods are the most nutritious, and basic cooking skills. This program aims to prepare teens for cooking healthy meals for themselves when their parents are busy or when they depart for college in the next few years. This program has a been huge success and will continue to run in three Santa Maria schools in the fall this year.
All of these Santa Barbara County programs are made possible through the efforts of generous volunteers, nonprofit partnerships, and assistance from local organizations. Oniracom has been lucky to work with the Foodbank and help improve the Santa Barbara community. You can read more about the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County and our partnership here: http://www.endsummerhunger.org
