Feeding San Diego purchases 125 truckloads of food to address widespread hunger due to COVID-19
FEEDING SAN DIEGO PURCHASES 125 TRUCKLOADS OF FOOD TO ADDRESS WIDESPREAD HUNGER DUE TO COVID-19
San Diego (May 4, 2020) — Feeding San Diego has purchased 125 truckloads of food since March 14 to meet a countywide surge in demand due to the COVID-19 crisis. The organization normally purchases approximately 24 truckloads in an entire year.
The increased reliance on purchased food is helping the organization to meet the needs of the nearly one out of every eight San Diegans struggling with hunger prior to the COVID-19 crisis, but also thousands of newly affected residents as San Diego’s unemployment rate reaches 25%. The increased demand comes at a time when Feeding San Diego has experienced a 30 percent decline in donations from local grocery stores due to high consumer demand.
“We are experiencing a tremendous surge in people facing hunger across San Diego County right now, with an estimated 40 percent facing food insecurity for the first time,” said Vince Hall, CEO of Feeding San Diego. “The wave of children, families and seniors in need isn’t slowing down — and neither are we because no San Diegan should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. We are grateful to the thousands of San Diegans who have generously donated to Feeding San Diego during this unprecedented crisis. Our donors from across this generous community make our work possible every day.”
Feeding San Diego offers no-touch, drive-through food assistance at hundreds of sites throughout San Diego County. The organization’s food finder map has become a valuable resource to the community and can be found at: feedingsandiego.org/find-food.
Additional community resources are accessible by calling 2-1-1 or visiting 211sandiego.org.
ABOUT FEEDING SAN DIEGO
Feeding San Diego is a non-profit organization on a mission to connect every person facing hunger with nutritious meals by maximizing food rescue. Established in 2007, Feeding San Diego is the leading hunger-relief and food rescue organization in San Diego County and the only Feeding America affiliate in the region. Feeding San Diego provides more than 26 million meals every year to children, families, seniors, college students, military families and veterans and people facing homelessness in partnership with a network of 300 local charities, schools, faith communities, meal sites and food pantries. Through an efficient model focused on reducing our impact on the environment, every dollar donated helps provide four nutritious meals to people in need. To learn more about Feeding San Diego and its COVID-19 response, visit feedingsandiego.org/coronavirus.
