Feeding San Diego calls for support from the local community this holiday season

SAN DIEGO – Feeding San Diego’s Give Hope, Share Joy fundraising campaign started Nov. 16. Funds raised will help sustain large scale drive-through food distributions, cover rising food and transportation costs, increase food supply to mobile pantries in rural areas of Eastern San Diego County and provide meals for children and families in partnership with school districts and other youth-based programs. Last year’s campaign raised more than 10.1 million meals and the goal is to surpass that this year.

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the fallout has affected thousands of San Diegans who have lost loved ones, are navigating a career change, or are struggling to cover all their expenses while the cost of nearly everything continues to skyrocket. Thousands of low-income families, children, seniors, college students, military families, and veterans need the community’s help, now and for the foreseeable future.

“The COVID-19 pandemic brought hunger in America to the forefront of the public consciousness. Much of the direct state and federal aid that was helping mitigate hardship for families has run out, and there is still a meal gap in San Diego County,” says Dan Shea, CEO of Feeding San Diego. “No family should go hungry any day of the year, but especially not during the holidays, a time to spend with loved ones – often around the table. This holiday giving season, we hope San Diegans remember those who need a helping hand.”

The following are ways for the community to get involved:

Double your impact with your gift to help end hunger through food rescue. Thanks to a generous $75,000 matching donation from The David C. Copley Foundation and Steve & Ruth Netzley, every dollar you give on Tuesday, Nov. 30 (GivingTuesday) doubles to help feed local families.

Become a team for good. Local businesses and corporations are invited to engage employees and support a culture of philanthropy by participating in the Teams for Good program and volunteering at the Feeding San Diego headquarters in Sorrento Valley.

Fallbrook area residents can volunteer at and/or donate to the Fallbrook Food Pantry, 140 N. Brandon Road. For more information, call 760-728-7608 or visit https://www.fallbrookfoodpantry.org/.

In addition to Feeding San Diego’s ongoing Together Tour large-scale, drive-through food distributions across the county, the organization is also partnering with San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council, Rock Church, and local school districts for holiday food distributions and toy drives in November and December. To learn more, visit feedingsandiego.org/find-food.

Submitted by Feeding San Diego.