The way Phil Howard tells it, the writing was basically on the wall for the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry leadership in 2017, prior to his joining the nonprofit’s board of directors.
When an updated draft of the Old Town Newhall Specific Plan was being discussed in 2017, he said, the current SCV Food Pantry’s location, which was within the planning area, didn’t really seem to figure into anyone’s plans for the area.
Specifically, he said, the SCV Food Pantry wasn’t listed as a location on the city’s online map for the area.
“So rather than being difficult about it, we thought we need to be a little bit more self-directing,” said Howard, who joined the board shortly after discussing the pantry’s situation with a former colleague who was involved.
He’s now serving his third term as board president, using some of his professional experience as a retired aerospace executive to help guide the burgeoning nonprofit.
One thing seemed apparent after speaking with Howard and the nonprofit’s relatively new executive director, Joanne Ainsworth, who made an impassioned three-minute plea during public comment at Tuesday’s City Council meeting: The downtown Newhall nonprofit has big ambitions to match the even larger ever-growing need it serves in the community.
Ainsworth said Tuesday the nonprofit is currently feeding approximately 7,000 people in the community through its efforts, with an average of about five new clients signing up each day.
She said Thursday in a phone interview the need has grown exponentially since she joined the organization in January.
Since the pandemic, she added, the number of clients served has increased by nearly 6,000 people.
“We’re undergoing, as I said, a lot of positive, positive changes right now,” she told the council members Tuesday, “and the main crux of what we want to bring forth tonight is that those positive changes need the partnership of the city.”
Ainsworth said she wasn’t in front of the council to ask for a donation, but she asked the city to keep the facility and its efforts to feed local families with dignity in mind, with the holidays coming up.
On Thursday, she shared a few more details about the capital campaign being planned for the local resource.
The initial goal was about $10 million, Howard said, but the nonprofit already has acquired land for the new facility — with plans and entitlements approved by City Hall — and the nonprofit owns its current location.
The current property has no doubt seen its value tick up over the years from the gentrification of its neighborhood, and its sale should also help a bit toward the goal.
Howard estimated the current need at around $7 million on Thursday.
The new property the board purchased for the nonprofit is located at 24029 Newhall Ave., a currently vacant lot at the intersection of Pine Avenue.
Ainsworth said the new plans include a 10,000-square-foot facility, which is expected to dedicate 80% of its space to the nonprofit, and another 2,000 square feet for commercial space that would be a tenant for the nonprofit and help offset its facility costs.
Ainsworth said her announcement was a sort of soft launch, but was planning to get the word out more in the coming weeks about the positive changes the group has in store.
Carrie Lujan, communications director for the city of Santa Clarita, said there was no new action authorized after the City Council’s brief discussion Tuesday, following Ainsworth’s comments, but mentioned several past measures of support the council has offered to the pantry.
“We have several regular food drives supporting the Food Pantry, including the current Food for Fines program, which is taking place this month,” Lujan said. “All donations made at the Valencia Library Branch will go to the Food Pantry. Also during the holidays, we ask for people to bring food donations as admission to the Holiday Light Tour.”
Ainsworth, who thanked Councilwoman Marsha McLean for inviting her to speak to the council Tuesday, said the pantry is appreciative of all the support it gets from the local community.
“Any kind of donation really helps,” Ainsworth said. “Of course, we’d love to get two to three large donations and call it a day, start building the pantry,” she added.
But she also wants to get the word out about the community’s need and the help that is available.
“It’s so important that people know that we do have plans,” she said, “they’re serious plans, and as soon as we get the money, we’ll be breaking ground on the new pantry.”
Anyone who would like to become involved in the local Food Pantry’s drive can get more information at the organization’s website, scvfoodpantry.org, or by reaching out to Ainsworth at [email protected].
