Ventura Department of Child Support Services Gives Back to the Community It Serves

On December 2, 2016, staff from Ventura County Department of Child Support Services (Ventura DCSS) participated in the 5th Annual Riverpark Collection Canned Tree Team Build with the spirit of giving back to the community.

The event is part of the “Tackling Hunger Campaign” hosted by the regional food bank to help raise the 200,00 pounds of food needed to restock its warehouse in preparation for the 10 million meals that will be needed in 2017.

Ventura DCSS staff build canned food tree

“I volunteer monthly at Food Share as a sorter and see firsthand how much this service is needed,” said Barbara Stoliker, a Child Support Supervisor at Ventura DCSS. “Participating in the Canned Tree Event was one more way to give back to the community. It is inspiring to see how much food is donated and the enthusiasm of everyone involved in the event.”

There was a bit of competition in the air, but more importantly a very profound appreciation for the importance of giving back to help support those individuals, families, children and seniors who are hungry in Ventura County.

Ventura County Chief Executive Officer, Michael Powers, was present at the event and thanked Ventura DCSS for their hard work and dedication, posing for a picture with the staff.

In total, Ventura County departments built 37 trees, with Ventura DCSS’ tree boasting 528 cans of food.

Additional Ventura DCSS staff who participated in the event include: Yolanda Galvez, Blanca Medina, Sonia Lopez, Sonia Cabral, Maria Bustillos, Priscilla Stevenson, Cassandra Holzhauer, Maricela Delgadillo, Jeanette Reeves, Lorena Rosas and Director Rose Schwab.

When asked what motivated her to participated in this year’s event, Ventura DCSS Staff Services Specialist II Yolanda Galvez said, “Uniting with my peers to work together on creating something fun and festive, all while helping to feed our local needy families.”

Ventura County DCSS plans to make this a yearly tradition and the goal in 2017 is to build two trees, while reinforcing the team's spirit!

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Lorena Rosas
Outreach Coordinator
Ventura County DCSS