“March 9th is the day our organization changed forever,” said Erik Talkin, CEO of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. He was describing the challenges in moving communities from hunger to nutritional self-sufficiency during a global pandemic.
To handle increased space needed for food collection and distribution, the Foodbank doubled their capacity within a week by adding two new temporary warehouses. More than 40 National Guards were deployed to supplement workers delivering food to distribution locations and seniors’ homes.
The Foodbank also added emergency food distribution locations – expanding their partnerships with nonprofits, neighborhood centers, churches, parks – while ensuring all food preparation followed CDC recommendations. Many locations offer a drive-thru option to minimize contact, and others schedule food pick-up appointments for individuals to prevent crowds.
Nearly 1,700 new volunteers have joined the Foodbank since the pandemic began. Through their efforts in Santa Barbara County, they have: distributed 14.5 million pounds of groceries, fresh fruits and vegetables; served 178,000 individuals (five times the number served during the Thomas Fire and debris flow); provided 48,000 deliveries of healthy staples and produce to seniors’ doors; and packed 6,000 grocery boxes each week, for a total of 126,000 boxes of food provided to the community to date.
Don’t know what to do with that guitar gathering dust in the corner? Running out of ways to use the produce from your garden and fruit trees? How about sharing your bounty with local nonprofits who have such great need right now?
We’ve launched something new – the "Bulletin Board", a page on our website encouraging current and past Women’s Fund grantees to tell us about the material goods or the volunteer help they need. Right now, the greatest need seems to be food, to help the many parents who've lost work or the children whose lunch is generally provided at school.
If you'd like to donate items or volunteer some of your time, please contact the grantee directly. And let them know the Women's Fund sent you. It’s that simple.
When we hear the word “coach” we normally associate it with sports; however, the Women’s Fund supported coaching of a different kind with a 2017-18 grant of $65,000 to the Children’s Resource and Referral of Santa Barbara County. The grant was used to “coach” 33 previously unlicensed home-based child care providers in the skill set necessary to enrich the young minds of their clients and become licensed Family Child Care (FCC) providers.
Jacqui Banta, the COO of the nonprofit agency, explains that 95% of a child’s brain cells are developing by the age of five. With improved early education and learning environments, those young minds are much better prepared for the years ahead.
Johnny (not his real name) is one success story. Just five years old and placed in foster care, he had suicidal thoughts, was harming himself and displaying aggression toward peers. Six months ago, Johnny was placed in an FCC program where coaches trained the teachers how to successfully navigate challenging behavior, identify triggers, and help Johnny through his crisis and support him in recovery while rebuilding trust. The coaches supported the teachers and helped them create coping tools for Johnny to use throughout his day. In six months, Johnny has transformed from a scared, confused and angry little boy to a confident, secure, kind and social friend.
Children's Resource & Referral selected their recipients from a list of women interested in obtaining a Family Child Care license. The coaches provided 25 hours of professional development focusing on child development and learning environments, one-on-one on-site coaching, home visits, technical assistance, resources, and the skills needed to improve the experience for their young charges. In addition, each caregiver was awarded $500 to purchase necessary supplies and equipment.
Jacqui deems the program 100% successful as the 33 caregivers have been providing high-quality care for their young charges which now number 265.
In a year that will be remembered for the socially and economically crippling effects of a pandemic, why are Women’s Fund members more important than ever? Why is the Women’s Fund mission—addressing the critical needs of women, children and families—more urgent than ever?
“Women have been harder hit by the coronavirus recession,” says Jeannie Sager, Director, Women’s Philanthropy Institute in a recent interview. “Not only have they lost jobs at higher rates than men, but they are also more likely to be caregivers or working on the front lines.”
In 2021, as part of the Women’s Fund, we have an opportunity to make significant, lasting impact on the lives of the women, children and families who have been hit the hardest in our community. Thanks to you, we have a chance to keep the turmoil of 2020 from taking root and spreading through the coming decade.
You must act soon! Please renew your Women’s Fund membership today – we value your participation and the community needs your support. Renewing is simple! No need to login, simply click here.
I’m Thankful for Women’s Fund Members
Welcome to our newest members who have joined since mid-October: Kim Bruzzese, Lucero Corral, Janet DeBard, Lisa Gaede, Stacey Geldin, Diane Gilbert, Patty Hill, Karen Merrill, Brenda Pentecost, and Nancy Solway.
We're reaching the end of our 2020 membership cycle, so make sure to renew now to have an impact in 2021 with our next grants pool.
There are a number of opportunities for tax-advantaged charitable giving – some of these require a little extra time and processing, so make sure you start soon.
Here’s what you should know:
The CARES Act allows a $300 cash ‘above the line’ deduction (meaning a deduction that is subtracted from gross income) for people who don’t itemize their taxes.
The CARES Act also allows unlimited deductions for cash contributions up to 100% of adjusted gross income.
If you’re 70 ½ years young, you can make qualified charitable distributions from an IRA up to $100,000 per year.
Donor-advised fund grant requests and IRA distributions take time to process, so start early.
Securities transfers also take time to execute – we need to receive the shares before year end for you to take the tax deduction for 2020. Please use the form on our website to let us know the shares are coming.
Matching grants for 2020 may be available from your employer but may have a deadline before year end.
For more information and to register your 2020 membership, please visit our website or send an email to finance@womensfundsb.org.
The holidays are just around the corner, so act now to make sure your renewal gets processed before year end. And speaking of holidays, here’s hoping that yours are full of joy, however you are able to celebrate.
- Contributed by Kathy Dunlap and Suzi Schomer
133 East De La Guerra Street, #15 Santa Barbara, CA93101
“We have been grateful during this critical time,” he began, “for our refrigerated food truck purchased 
The Foodbank also added emergency food distribution locations – expanding their partnerships with nonprofits, neighborhood centers, churches, parks – while ensuring all food preparation followed CDC recommendations. Many locations offer a drive-thru option to minimize contact, and others schedule food pick-up appointments for individuals to prevent crowds.
We’ve launched something new – the 
Children's Resource & Referral selected their recipients from a list of women interested in obtaining a Family Child Care license. The coaches provided 25 hours of professional development focusing on child development and learning environments, one-on-one on-site coaching, home visits, technical assistance, resources, and the skills needed to improve the experience for their young charges. In addition, each caregiver was awarded $500 to purchase necessary supplies and equipment.
Women’s Philanthropy Institute in a 
start early.
