Amazon Delivers Major Donation of Food and Funds to Feeding San Diego to Help End Hunger in the Region
The global retailer donates food, freight, and financial support to the local non-profit, recently launching an annual employee food drive to offer additional support
For the second year in a row, Amazon is joining forces with hunger-relief and food rescue organization Feeding San Diego to help provide critical food and funds through the Feeding San Diego Food Drive. In addition to collecting food donations from employees across Amazon operations in San Diego and across Southern California, the company is also providing funds to help provide 50,000 meals to San Diegans experiencing food insecurity. There will be a check presentation and presentation of food collected as part of the food drive next Monday, June 23, starting in the morning at the Amazon Fresh store in Poway. In addition, the public can purchase most needed food items for Feeding San Diego and donate them onsite at the grocery store. The food donations will be used to stock the Feeding San Diego Marketplace, a free grocery store where people experiencing food insecurity can shop once a month.
“We are so grateful to Amazon and its employees for their continued support of our mission,” said Patty O’Connor, COO of Feeding San Diego. “The trifecta of food, funds, and freight being donated to our organization on a consistent basis truly makes a massive impact on our ability to operate hunger-relief programs all over the county. Food rescue is at the core of our mission, so we are incredibly proud to have been able to redirect over ten million pounds of food from Amazon facilities since 2017.”
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 food 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 10.2 million pounds of food to the non-profit.
Additionally, Amazon Local Good, a pro-bono logistics support program where Amazon donates transportation routes to local charities and non-profits, has been critical to Feeding San Diego. Almost 2.5 million pounds of food has 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 $180,000. One of the biggest costs to a hunger-relief organization is freight for transporting food, including labor and fuel costs. 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.
“At Amazon, we’re committed to using our resources, technology, and talent to support the communities we call home,” said David Ambroz, Head of SoCal Community Engagement at Amazon. “Our partnership with Feeding San Diego goes beyond donations — we’re harnessing our logistics network and the dedication of our employees to help deliver nutritious food to neighbors in need. Together, we’re working to create lasting solutions in the fight against hunger across the San Diego Region.”
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. Any companies looking to get involved can find more information about how to donate food or funds at feedingsandiego.org.
