About the Menifee Valley Community Cupboard

During a workshop in July, 1996 for Valley Health System's Healthier Communities Task Force, a volunteer mother from our Menifee Schools worried aloud about her concern for the nutritional needs of students during the time they are "off track". By February, 1997 a group comprised of civic and church volunteers was meeting to address this concern. Eve Hoover was invited to attend a meeting in February and asked to offer some thoughts on this concern. From that meeting until January, 1998 work was in progress to put into reality what we now refer to as the Menifee Valley Community Cupboard (MVCC).

Central County United Way lent "seed" money to the struggling group and acted as their fiduciary agent. Supervisor Venable was able to secure $4,300 through the county Economic Development Agency. Community volunteers and organizations dug into their pockets and also gave of their time and energy to find a site and do all that had to be done to start an agency from "scratch". Application was made to obtain status as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization and approval was received in January, 1998.

From 48 applicants representing 90 people in January, 1998 which was our first month of operation, to a year-end total of 1,568 applicants with 60,510 boxed meals, MVCC has continued to grow. In 1999 MVCC boxed 91,020 meals and in 2000 the total was 114,640. In 2001, MVCC had 2,768 applicants and served a total of 6,175 people including 444 home deliveries. The total meals served was 94,391. Our records show that the most needy in this area are seniors and, in particular, widowed seniors.

The numbers listed above clearly reflect the need that exists today within Menifee Valley to help our less fortunate residents.

In August of 2001 we raised sufficient funds to purchase property for a permanent long term location. We are now paying off that loan. Then development of the property will proceed.

January, 2002

Eve B. Hoover, Ph.D.