North County Cares Celebrates a Successful Launch Feeding Families Across the County and Supporting Local Restaurants

​OCEANSIDE, CA – The Oceanside Chamber, the Vista Chamber and the San Diego North Economic Development Council have been working hard to both feed families across the county and support our local restaurants. The North County Cares program launched last month, with a generous donation of $50,000 from Genentech. With the funds, the Oceanside Chamber and the Vista Chamber will ultimately serve an estimated 1,650 local families and benefit 30 - 35 restaurants each in both Oceanside and Vista.

Oceanside’s participating restaurants have expressed immense gratitude for the program’s efforts to support our community. “I want to say thank you to the donors and the chamber for coming through for small business at a critical time. This has been a big help to us. Thank you!” expressed Josh Arbenz, owner of Stratford at the Harbor. Another participating restaurant owner, Charlie Anderson with The Privateer Restaurants, wrote a letter of gratitude stating, “The Privateer Restaurants wanted to thank the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce for your generous purchase of gift certificates for the North County Cares project. Like for all of our restaurant community, things have been tough, and that influx of revenue was very helpful. Thank you! We wanted to also let you know that we have had quite a few gift cards redeemed already by some families also in need of a little help. Congratulations on coming up with a program that helps both local businesses and the community at large. Well done!”
 
While the restaurants have expressed their appreciation, the surprised families on the receiving end are equally as thankful. North County Cares works with local school districts to select deserving families. According to Debbie Wickman, the Family and Community Outreach Liaison for the Oceanside Unified School District, the families receiving restaurant gift cards are selected according to staff recognition of special needs or circumstances. Some families have students attending the Migrant Education and English Language Learner summer school programs, while the majority have been distributed to supplement the food offered through the Tuesday/Thursday food distributions for the families receiving free or reduced meals. “Everyone has been so appreciative of the support these gift cards have provided!” explains Wickman.
 
The program has launched a coinciding GoFundMe Campaign which hopes to raise an additional $20,000 in grassroot funding. These community contributions have the ability to benefit an additional 650 families and 16 – 20 local restaurants. Please visit the North County Cares website to learn more about the program. If you would like to either participate in the program as a restaurant or distributor or be considered to receive support, please contact the Oceanside or Vista Chambers.
 
About North County Cares
North County Cares is a collaborative effort designed by the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, the Vista Chamber of Commerce and the San Diego North Economic Development Council for the purpose of supporting both families in need and North County restaurants facing economic hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Contributors are encouraged to support local families and restaurants by donating to the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Foundation. In turn, the money collected is used to purchase gift cards from participating chamber member restaurants in both Oceanside and Vista. The gift cards are then distributed to the Vista Unified School District, the Oceanside Unified School District and any other philanthropic organizations and used to provide meals for struggling families.
 
About Genentech
Founded more than 40 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious and life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.
 
Recently, Genentech and the Genentech Foundation announced their charitable commitment of $42 million to help provide relief and recovery for those suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. With the economic and healthcare inconsistencies recognized, Genentech is working closely with community leaders and groups to identify the greatest areas of need. They hope to build resiliency and address critical emerging equity gaps especially within low-income households and communities of color. Their forward-looking giving framework directs funds on a national, regional and local level in three specific areas:

• Critical Health Needs
  • Emergency donations to Direct Relief and the CDC Foundation helped provide personal protective equipment and other resources for our front-line health workers and first responders.
• Strengthening Schools
  • The Genentech Foundation has invested in California Schools creating more equitable access to distance learning for low-income students and providing delivery of critical services including food assistance and mental healthcare.
• Grassroots Community Supports
  • Resources have been delivered to community foundations, food banks and regional relief efforts.

 
To learn more about Genentech’s corporate and charitable giving, please visit their Giving page. Additional information on Genentech’s efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic can be found on their COVID-19 response page.