Care & Share volunteer Mike Dudley, left, helps Linda Korski of Simi Valley look for powdered milk. There wasn't any on the shelves.

Volunteers at Simi Valley's Care & Share are worried about its almost bare pantry and the 500 people it's meant to feed.

Recently the self-supporting food bank couldn't help diabetic seniors with the types of food they need — tuna, canned vegetables, coffee and sugar-free cereal. They haven't had the right foods this past month.

"We did not have anything for them," said Veronica Rubio, coordinator of the food bank.

Rubio said they don't turn clients away empty-handed, so they gave the seniors food that didn't comply with their diet restrictions. Of the 350 seniors who depend on the food pantry, about 100 require special dietary food.

Summer is always a slow donation period, but it hasn't been this slow in recent memory, Rubio said. Meanwhile, the demand for food has increased in the past few months.

"A lot of people have lost their jobs," Rubio said. "We're seeing more families with children, too."

One reason for the donation decline, Rubio said, is that schools, among the food bank's biggest contributors, were out of session. Collection bins sit at various campuses, and the schools participate in donation competitions.

Also during the summer, low-income children do not get the free meals guaranteed at school, so parents rely more on the food bank, Rubio said.

The June closing of the Simi Valley chapter of OASIS, which helped fragile, low-income seniors, also has increased demand at the food bank. That worries Pat Esseff, the regional coordinator for Catholic Charities, who worked with OASIS to help seniors.

Getting the proper food for special diets is an ongoing problem. It would be great if one organization or group responded to the immediate need by donating a "wish list" of foods for diabetics, she said.

While the food bank gets some food from Ventura County FOOD Share, it is traditionally supported by volunteers and donations from the Simi-Moorpark Association of Realtors, Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, Scouts, churches, schools and individuals. Last week, after a much-needed donation was given by a local organization, workers at Care & Share were able to go to Costco and get some necessities.

But the food bank is still desperate for such staples as peanut butter and canned tuna, vegetables, beans and soup. Boxes of cereal, macaroni and cheese and loaves of bread are also needed.

The food bank is at 5924 Los Angeles Ave., Unit F, where it shares a space with the Salvation Army. Pantry hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For more information, call 522-5676.