How a Fundraising Competition Led to a New School Pantry in San Diego

Published On: January 14th, 2026By Categories: Community Support3 min read

It’s a sunny day in Southeast San Diego. Against the blue of the sky, bright orange tents with Feeding San Diego’s logo draw attention to the new school pantry at Morse High School. Smiling volunteers and staff cut an orange ribbon to officially launch the pantry, which will help feed students, parents, and neighbors in the surrounding community. What makes this pantry extra special is how it came to exist: a fundraising competition amongst San Diego’s legal community.

A crowd of people clap during a ribbon cutting

The ribbon cutting at Morse High School. Pictured from left to right: Laura Singleton, Brandon Randolph, Kristin Heryford, Deanna Ybarra, Cynthia Larkin, Bob Kamensky, and Clay Alexander

Food from the Bar

For the past 13 years, San Diego’s legal community has competed against each other as part of the Food from the Bar fundraising competition. Feeding San Diego’s annual campaign brings together legal professionals to help feed San Diegans facing food insecurity. Teams compete by raising funds and donating their time to see who can raise the most in a month.

2025 Results: A Record-Breaking Year

Last year’s campaign raised $150,000 to support Feeding San Diego’s school pantry program. This incredible result exceeded our goal, making the new pantry at Morse High School possible. In addition to funds, the participating firms donated over 310 hours to help sort, pack, and distribute food to San Diegans facing food insecurity.

Bragging Rights

Singleton Schreiber, a personal injury firm, took top billing in the 2025 Food from the Bar campaign, single-handedly raising over $75,000. The additional firms that comprised the top five fundraisers include: Cooley LLP, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Judicate West, and Garcia Hong Law.

A Valuable Resource

Morse High School has been on the waitlist for a school pantry since October 2024. The school serves a diverse population of 1,623 students, with 89% of the student body representing communities of color. The school pantry requires $50,000 annually for its operating budget.

Principal Cynthia Larkin of Morse High School shared the importance of having the pantry on campus.

A woman gives a speech at a podium

Principal Cynthia Larkin speaking at the ribbon cutting

“Families in our community are constantly navigating high living costs and the ongoing impact of our current economy,” she explained. “Partnering with Feeding San Diego provides Morse with a sustainable and dignified way to support our families who may be in need. We truly want to make Morse a place where every student feels seen, heard, loved, and respected.”

More than 75% of the student body at Morse qualifies for free or reduced-price meals. The pantry helps ensure that those students have nutritious meals on nights, weekends, and holidays as well.

“Addressing food insecurity is essential to strengthening our communities,” said Jerry Singleton, managing partner of Singleton Schreiber. “We’re proud to support the new School Pantry at Morse High School, which provides students and their families with reliable, dignified access to the food they need. No child should have to worry about their next meal, and this pantry helps ensure students can focus on learning and thriving.”

Join Us Next Time

The Food from the Bar fundraising competition returns in June. We look forward to partnering with the legal community again to help support and expand our school pantry program. To learn more about Food from the Bar and how to get started, please contact Clay Alexander at 858.283.8999 or calexander@feedingsandiego.org.

Feeding San Diego is actively seeking donors to sponsor the schools on our waitlist. Interested in becoming a sponsor? Please contact Ali Colbran, our senior director of development, at acolbran@feedingsandiego.org.