Feeding San Diego responds to East County Fires
FEEDING SAN DIEGO RESPONDS TO EAST COUNTY FIRES
Organization increases amount of food available at distribution sites and holds an additional emergency distribution in response to fire and power shutoffs
SAN DIEGO (December 7, 2020) — In response to the strong winds and fire weather our county is currently experiencing, which have resulted in fires and power shutoffs by San Diego Gas & Electric that affect tens of thousands of East County residents, Feeding San Diego is increasing the amount of food at its mobile pantries that service the areas of Borrego Springs, Boulevard, Shelter Valley, Julian and Guatay. In addition, there will be a one-time emergency distribution in Santa Ysabel for affected tribal community members.
Feeding San Diego’s Mobile Pantry Program provides food security to those living in predominantly rural, underserved areas that have a high incidence of poverty and are often food deserts. On a regular basis, and especially during crises, these mobile food pantries provide a crucial lifeline to those in need. Feeding San Diego’s Mobile Pantry Program is the only program of its kind in the county, and has increased food provided to the program during the ongoing pandemic. Natural disasters like wildfires only add to the need experienced in these areas.
While these distributions are usually held farmer’s market-style, each site now operates as a drivethrough, or walk-through model due to the pandemic. They are held on a twice monthly basis and are available to anyone in need.
“Our East County communities are already vulnerable to hunger because of the lack of access to fresh, nutritious foods. With the pandemic and now fire season, the danger is mounting,” says Dana Henderson, Director of Programs at Feeding San Diego. “By increasing the amount of food available we hope to provide even more people than usual with the food they need.”
Below are the mobile pantry sites that will be receiving additional quantities of food for the week of December 7:
- Borrego Springs Mobile Pantry 611 Church Lane Borrego Springs, CA 92004
- Boulevard Mobile Pantry 39605 Old Highway 80 Boulevard, CA 91934
- Santa Ysabel Community Health Clinic* (available for tribal families only) 110 ½ School House Canyon Rd. Santa Ysabel, CA 92070
- Shelter Valley Mobile Pantry 7217 Great Southern Overland Trail Julian, CA 92036
- Julian Mobile Pantry 1850 California 78 Julian, CA 92036
*One time only emergency distribution
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 92 percent 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.