Amazon Donates $25,000 to Feeding San Diego in Support of Hunger-Relief Programs Ahead of Summer Break
Donation will help provide 50,000 meals to San Diego families facing food insecurity as children lose access to school meals
Amazon is donating $25,000 to Feeding San Diego, providing critical support to the non-profit’s “Fuel for Summer” campaign.
Ahead of the summer months, when families struggle to provide meals to children on summer break, this donation will help support low-income families with food assistance. The contribution, part of Amazon’s annual Feeding San Diego Food Drive, will help fund approximately 50,000 meals for San Diegans experiencing food insecurity. In addition to the financial donation, Amazon employees across San Diego and Southern California operations are collecting food donations to supplement the effort.
A check presentation and delivery of collected food will take place on Monday, June 1, at Feeding San Diego.
“Supporting local communities takes strong partnerships and a shared commitment to showing up for one another,” said David Ambroz, Amazon’s head of community engagement, Southern California. “We’re honored to continue working alongside Feeding San Diego to support this important cause, and proud of our Amazon team members who volunteer alongside these efforts and help bring initiatives like this to life in the communities where they live and work.”
With the rise in the cost of living over the past few years, including essentials like housing, fuel, and food, many families are struggling to afford their daily needs. With nearly 400,000 people experiencing food insecurity in San Diego County, including over 100,000 children, Feeding San Diego’s hunger-relief programs are a vital resource.
Currently, the nonprofit works with a network of nearly 350 partners to get nutritious food out into the community, with 92% of it being rescued from local and national food donors. Amazon has long been a food donor to the organization, providing surplus food from its local facilities to help support the nonprofit’s hunger-relief programs. Since 2017, the company has donated over 12.6 million pounds of food to the non-profit.
Additionally, Amazon Local Good, a pro bono logistics support program that donates transportation routes to local charities and non-profits, has been critical to Feeding San Diego. Over 3.5 million pounds of food have been transported by Amazon to Feeding San Diego at no cost, helping the organization save on freight costs. The total freight savings to date are over $270,000. One of the highest costs for a hunger-relief organization is freight, including labor and fuel. Having a corporate partner donate freight greatly helps cut costs and frees up funds for Feeding San Diego to purchase additional or higher-quality food items.
“With the changes to federal nutrition programs and extreme rise in costs associated with providing food assistance, it’s an integral time for our corporate partners to step up and support hunger relief organizations,” said AnnMarie Gabaldon, director of corporate partnerships at Feeding San Diego. “Amazon increased its financial contribution to our organization this year and doesn’t just provide funds, but also food and freight. We are so grateful to the Southern California team for its ongoing commitment to supporting our mission.”
It takes the support of many stakeholders to power local hunger-relief organizations, with corporate partners and food donors like Amazon playing a key role. Companies interested in getting involved can find more information on donating food or funds at feedingsandiego.org.
