DONATIONS DOWN AT FOOD SHARE CHARITY PROGRAM.

Byline: David Greenberg Daily News Staff Writer

The feel-good Ventura County economy is ironically being tagged as the reason why the FOOD Share program is alarmingly lagging in its emergency food basket drive this holiday season.

``When you hear times are better, you don't think about people who are struggling,'' said James Mangis, executive director of the Oxnard agency. ``You assume everyone is doing better.''

Yet, with its deadline for canned and packaged food donations only 15 days away, FOOD Share has received 35,000 pounds of food - 65,000 pounds shy of its goal.

Of that total, approximately 25,000 pounds was distributed to pantries, churches and other congregate feeding sites countywide for Thanksgiving meals.

FOOD Share workers expect the demand to increase for Christmas.

``Christmas is even more intense,'' said Dan Williams, FOOD Share's volunteer coordinator. ``In terms of meeting our goal, we're way behind.''

As the county's only food bank, FOOD Share is feeling the crunch of federal welfare reform laws that have limited benefits to low-income individuals.

The new regulations strip away food stamps from able-bodied adults who have not worked in three months and have no children, as well as legal aliens who don't have 10 years of work experience.

Since last summer, 1,240 county residents lost their food stamps, according to Karla Olander, the Public Social Services Agency program manager.

``It is certainly one of the things that is prompting people to come to our doors,'' said Mary Ann Decaen, community services coordinator for Catholic Charities, which has two offices in the east county and draws 70 percent of its food from FOOD Share.

``It's truly puzzling to see so many needy that are not recognized in our communities. If we didn't have FOOD Share, we'd be up a creek.''

The increase in demand forced the agency to hike its holiday season goal from 60,000 pounds of food last year to 100,000 pounds this year.

The shortage in donations comes as little surprise to agency staff members, whose 20,000-square-foot storage facility was nearly empty Nov. 1, the food drive's kickoff day.

``It was the worst situation I've seen in my four years as an employee here,'' said Williams. ``You could shoot a gun through the warehouse and you would not have hit any food.''

On or around Dec. 19, food basket donations will be distributed to approximately 200 pantries, churches and other entities countywide, including Thousand Oaks agencies Lutheran Social Services, Manna Conejo Valley Food Bank and Many Mansions, as well as Simi Valley organizations Samaritan Center, St. Rose of Lima Christian Services, and Simi Care and Share.

For more information or to make a donation, call [phone].