15 Years of Feeding San Diego

Published On: May 20th, 2022By Categories: Campaigns2.5 min read

A lot has happened over 15 years of Feeding San Diego. However, the mission of the hunger-relief organization remains the same: to end hunger through food rescue. In honor of Feeding San Diego’s anniversary, we look back on how things started.

volunteers from Feeding San Diego's first food distribution standing in front of a box truck

The volunteers from Feeding San Diego’s first food distribution in 2007

The Beginnings

Founded by Gwendolyn Sontheim, Feeding San Diego’s first distribution took place on October 9, 2007, in the parking lot at San Diego Rescue Mission. Several weeks later, San Diego County suffered from disastrous firestorms that displaced hundreds of thousands of individuals. In the first week of the fire, with only two employees, Feeding San Diego secured and delivered 515,000 pounds of emergency supplies, including food, water, and other grocery items, to evacuees, firefighters, and volunteers. 

From the start, we have been ready to spring into action whatever the crisis, from wildfire to a global pandemic. Since its early beginnings, Feeding San Diego has distributed over 300 million meals. You can see our organization in action in our latest video. 

Dan O'Shea and Gwendolyn Sontheim in Feeding San Diego's Sorrento Valley Distribution Center

Dan Shea and Gwendolyn Sontheim in Feeding San Diego’s Distribution Center

Focused on the Mission

Now led by CEO Dan Shea, our organization has grown from two employees to over 65. As a result, we currently distribute an average of 40.3 million meals each year.

Hunger sprang into the forefront of public awareness during the pandemic. We continue to support the many San Diegans impacted by the aftermath. Our community faces the highest inflation of the past 40 years, record-high gas prices, global unrest, and a volatile economy. With the incredible support of the community, Feeding San Diego is focused on meeting its ambitious goals.  

This year, Feeding San Diego is dedicated to:

  • establishing and growing its new Produce Pantry Program to provide even more fresh produce to the community
  • expanding its School Pantry Program, which was upended by the pandemic
  • growing its food rescue program in response to SB 1383, which requires certain businesses donate excess food to hunger-relief organizations
  • continuing its Together Tour large-scale food distributions, which have provided food to over 287,000 San Diegans since February 2021.

To look to the future, the organization is celebrating its past.  

Stronger Together

“I founded Feeding San Diego because I believe that access to nutritious food is a basic human right. Looking back on 15 years of service to the community, it’s humbling to be a part of this organization that provides what we now know to be an essential service and touches so many lives in the process,” shares founder and board chair Gwendolyn Sontheim.  

“I founded Feeding San Diego because I believe that access to nutritious food is a basic human right.”

This work would be impossible without the stakeholders who drive our mission forward. Thank you to our donors, volunteers, the board of directors, staff, food donors, and community and agency partners. The time is now to get involved. 

Learn more about Feeding San Diego’s anniversary and how you can support us!