Give kids the fuel to play, jump, and grow this summer with the summer meal program!

Published On: June 23rd, 2022By Categories: Campaigns3.2 min read

School is out for summer, and many children need your help. With the excitement that summer brings, it’s easy to forget that hundreds of thousands of people face hunger in San Diego County, and school break presents added challenges for many families.

According to data from the California Department of Education, there are nearly 500,000 K through 12 students in San Diego County, and over 240,000 of those students rely on free or reduced-price meals while in school. That means almost 50% of San Diego County students could lose access to nutritious meals in the summer months. 

A mother with her young son and daughter holding food received at a school pantry

A family at a school pantry which is now closed for summer

With soaring inflation, record-high gas prices, and skyrocketing utility costs, families have to make tough choices. The loss of school meals means added stress.  

The good news is that you can support families who might struggle during these months without school meals. This summer, there are some easy ways to continue to help our neighbors. 

1. Spread the word about the summer meal program

One of the biggest reasons our neighbors might not seek help is that they don’t know resources exist. During the summer, this problem is worsened when free summer meal programs take place throughout the community but are hard to find. So, let’s change that!  

Take to social media, your neighborhood group chat, or your family text and share where to find information about local summer meal programs. Often these programs don’t require any paperwork or proof of income: 

  • Use our Find Food Map. Feeding San Diego’s Find Food Map is an easy way to find a free food distribution nearest you. Just enter your zip code, select a time frame and category, and it will generate a list of distributions. 
  • Text ‘FOOD’ to 304-304. Thanks to our friends at No Kid Hungry, you can find summer meal sites near you by simply texting and providing your address. The service will text back a list of nearby summer meal sites, including their address and contact information.
  • Call the USDA Hotline at 866-348-6479. The USDA offers a free, confidential hotline to help find summer meals for kids. 

Kids eating lunch at Boys and Girls Club San Marcos as part of the summer meal program

Kids at the Boys and Girls Club San Marcos enjoying lunch from the summer meal program

2. Participate in our Kids Helping Kids volunteer shifts 

This summer, we are excited to offer opportunities for kids to lend a helping hand to other kids in need! At our Kids Helping Kids volunteer shifts, parents and kids ages six and older can donate their time to help children facing hunger. Upcoming times for kid-focused shifts include: 

  • Tuesday, June 28: 6-8 PM 
  • Tuesday, July 5: 6-8 PM 
  • Saturday, July 9: 1-3 PM 
  • Tuesday, July 12: 6-8 PM 
  • Tuesday, July 19: 6-8 PM
  • Tuesday, July 26: 6-8 PM 

Sign up here.

Student from High Tech High packing a box with food as a volunteer at the Feeding San Diego distribution center

A student from High Tech High volunteering at Feeding San Diego’s distribution center

3. Make a donation  

From summer meal program coordination to putting gas in our trucks, it takes a lot of resources to get summer meals to kids in the community. Feeding San Diego is dedicated to ensuring as many kids as possible have access to meals when school is out, but we need the community’s help.

A $15 monthly donation provides a meal a day for a whole month!

A donation of any amount helps immensely, and recurring donations provide much-needed regular funding. Become a Feed 365 member by making a monthly donation of any size. Every dollar donated helps provide two meals to a San Diegan in need.  In fact, a $15 monthly donation provides a meal a day for a whole month!  

Watch our video to learn more about how Feeding San Diego supports students during the summer.