Feeding San Diego Launches New Seed to Feed Initiative to Bolster Local Food System Through Its Hunger Relief Programs
The Prebys Foundation–funded program will allow the nonprofit to continue to purchase local produce to maintain nutritious food access after a similar USDA program ended
Feeding San Diego, the county’s leading hunger-relief and food rescue organization, has officially launched its new Seed to Feed Initiative, a locally funded program designed to continue purchasing fresh food from local farmers after the federal Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA ) was discontinued. Seed to Feed is made possible by $1.5 million in funding from the Prebys Foundation, announced in November 2025.
The initiative is a major investment in the local food system and in the nutrition security of San Diegans experiencing food insecurity. This approach expands access to nutritious food for people facing food insecurity while providing reliable financial support to local farmers and food producers.
“The farms we partner with were devastated by the LFPA program’s cancellation, and so were we,” said Patty O’Connor, chief operations officer at Feeding San Diego. “Seed to Feed produce costs over ten times more than other sources, but investing in our local food system strengthens our economy, environment, and community. We’re truly grateful to the Conrad Prebys Foundation for reviving this program and allowing us to continue purchasing from local growers to help end hunger in San Diego County.”
Starting this week, Feeding San Diego will make weekly purchases from Hukama Produce, Dickinson Family Farms, and Foodshed Cooperative, and will distribute about 48,000 pounds of fresh, locally grown produce monthly through its hunger relief programs, namely the School Pantry Program and the Mobile Pantry Program. The School Pantry Program provides nutritious food directly on K-12 school campuses throughout the county, while the Mobile Pantry Program offers pop-up food distributions in rural areas that are food deserts. The produce will also go out to other Feeding San Diego partners operating food distributions. Overall, 2,254 households will receive this produce from Feeding San Diego each month.
“As a small farmer, opportunities like the Seed to Feed Initiative allow us to keep growing food for our communities while strengthening local agriculture and improving access to fresh, healthy produce,” said Norma Murrillo of Behneman Farms, who also serves as the president of Foodshed’s board of directors.
The LFPA program was a national program from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provided funds from the American Rescue Plan and Commodity Credit Corporation for state, tribal, and territorial governments to purchase foods produced within the state or 400 miles of the delivery destination. It was cancelled in the spring of 2025.
