Feeding San Diego receives two grants from The San Diego Foundation to help vulnerable San Diegans affected by the COVID-19 crisis
FEEDING SAN DIEGO RECEIVES TWO GRANTS FROM THE SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION TO HELP VULNERABLE SAN DIEGANS AFFECTED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS
Grant funds support food assistance for at-risk community members in East County and low-income seniors
SAN DIEGO (December 9, 2020) — Feeding San Diego is pleased to announce it is a recipient of two grants from The San Diego Foundation to help alleviate hunger for San Diegans in need. Feeding San Diego was awarded $150,000 from The San Diego Foundation to support its Mobile Pantry program and Feeding Seniors initiative.
Feeding San Diego serves vulnerable populations, including low-income seniors, in communities across San Diego County, including Bonsall, Descanso, Jacumba, and many others. Usually held as farmer’s markets, each food distribution now operates with a drive-through or walk-through model due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“COVID-19 has magnified inequities and food insecurity across San Diego County, particularly among rural and traditionally-underserved families,” says Mark Stuart, President & CEO of The San Diego Foundation. “Organizations such as Feeding San Diego are vital to our community health and are working diligently to ensure all San Diegans have equitable access to food during and after the pandemic.”
As the largest program of its kind in the county, the Feeding San Diego Mobile Pantry program provides food assistance to people living in predominantly rural, underserved areas that have a high incidence of poverty and a lack of accessible grocery stores. During the pandemic, Feeding San Diego has increased the amount of food supplied to these locations by 15 to 20 percent. In addition, the organization’s Feeding Seniors initiative helps support low-income seniors throughout the county at mobile pantry sites, dedicated senior distributions, and collaborations with agency partners.
“The public health and economic crisis has created unprecedented levels of hunger, which has significantly impacted seniors and people living paycheck to paycheck,” says Gavon Morris, Chief Philanthropy Officer of Feeding San Diego. “We are grateful for the support from The San Diego Foundation to help us continue providing a crucial lifeline to those in need throughout San Diego County.”
Since March, Feeding San Diego has provided emergency services to San Diegans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, while continuing to host hundreds of its regular food distributions countywide.
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 31.2 million meals every year to children, families, seniors, college students, military families, and veterans in partnership with a network of 320 local charities, schools, faith communities, meal sites, and food pantries. More than 92percent of the food provided to the community is rescued. By diverting more than 27 million pounds of food from the landfill every year, Feeding San Diego is reducing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 25,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent, which is comparable to taking 5,300 cars off the road for a year. To learn more about Feeding San Diego and its COVID-19 response, visit feedingsandiego.org.
ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION
The San Diego Foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region. For more than 40 years, The Foundation and our donors have granted more than $1.2 billion to support nonprofit organizations and strengthen our San Diego community. Learn more at SDFoundation.org and consider a donation to the San Diego COVID-19 Community Response Fund, helping nonprofits and San Diegans affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
