Thanksgiving becomes a reality for hundreds of families in Ventura and Santa Maria

Aera teamed up with communities in Ventura and Santa Maria to feed hungry families for Thanksgiving.

• In Ventura, Aera purchased more than 140 turkeys to add to the food and monies collected by the City of Ventura and students from the Ventura Unified school district. “Without these donations, the families who received the meals wouldn’t have a Thanksgiving at all,” said Anita Diaz, coordinator for the Westpark Community Center, where the distributions were made.

“We’re part of this community, and Westpark is the hub of Ventura’s westside, which is right in our backyard,” said Michele Newell, Aera public affairs representative. “This work makes our community a better place to live because we invest in it as a company and as individuals. We look forward to working with our westside neighbors throughout the holidays to make the season brighter here.”

•     In Santa Maria, the Santa Barbara Food Bank donated 60 turkeys while Aera’s $1,500 donation bought the rest of the meal supplies. That provided hundreds of Thanksgiving meals at the Salvation Army as well as for Meals on Wheels. Leftovers went to Good Samaritan Shelter and Santa Barbara Rescue Mission.

Among those helping was Ron Lovell, assistant professor and program coordinator of Culinary Arts and Management at nearby Allan Hancock College.

“Many thanks to Aera from all of us at the Salvation Army,” Lovell said. “Your donation was especially critical this year since [two other usual donors] said they could not help.”