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Food Bank Steps Up To Fill Gap Created By Temporary Shutdown Of Non-Profit In Santa Barbara County

A food bank serving Santa Barbara County will open some new food distribution sites, to try to fill the gap created by the temporary closure of a longtime non-profit agency. Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is trying to fill the void created by the shutdown of Santa Barbara’s Unity Shoppe.

Unity Shoppe officials say after being swamped by people impacted by recent disasters in the region, they have been forced to temporarily close, and lay off 17 employees. The relief agency is trying to raise more money from the community, and be back in business for the holiday season.

One of the key roles the Unity Shoppe plays is feeding those in need.

Foodbank officials say until Unity is back up and running, they will do free food distributions. One will take place Mondays through Fridays at Santa Barbara’s Catholic Charities building, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The other will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at the Westside Neighborhood Center. Its hours will be from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

No paperwork is required. Like the Unity Shoppe, the distributions will be “choice pantries,” which means people can come and choose the food items they actually need, and will use.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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