Meet the Match: San Diego-Based TRACON Pharmaceuticals is Committed to Ending Hunger

Have you ever wondered how fundraising matches happen? It’s quite simple, actually: a donor’s commitment to the Feeding San Diego mission inspires them to match other incoming gifts dollar-for-dollar, up to a certain amount. This month, we’re so grateful to have a San Diego-based company, TRACON Pharmaceuticals, stepping up for a $25,000 challenge match in support of the Fuel for Summer campaign that helps to fund summer meal programming for kids throughout San Diego County.  

TRACON Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel targeted therapeutics for cancer, headquartered in La Jolla. We spoke to President and CEO Dr. Charles P. Theuer and Executive Vice President Bonne Adams to learn more about what motivates them to keep giving to Feeding San Diego year over year to support their local community.  

Q: Why did you feel compelled to do this challenge match this summer?

A: Bonnie: We’ve been supporting Feeding San Diego for a while. People at our company support Feeding San Diego individually, too. Almost 12 years ago, we had our first company volunteer event at the warehouse. It’s been a long relationship. There are so many aspects of the Feeding San Diego mission that we align with. Providing nutritious meals to people who can’t afford them is something we really believe in. It’s unbelievable that the easiest food to get is the worst for you. It’s the cheapest. So really, getting healthy food to people is something we align with. All humans should be able to eat healthy food. Food rescue diverts that food from the landfill so it’s also preventing global warming. It’s just so cool. It presents a creative solution to this problem. 

Charles: Your organization is amazing in terms of taking a little bit and doing so much with it. If we can donate to an organization where you take that allocated capital and you provide 50,000 meals for $25,000 dollars, it’s hard to imagine doing much more good in the world than giving you guys the money to execute what you do so well, which is feed people great meals for an incredibly low cost. We’re a cancer drug development company and our goal is to help people live longer. If you think about it more holistically, our goal is to allow each person to live a fuller life. You can do that by treating cancer, but you can also do that by making sure people have enough to eat. If people are hungry, nothing else matters than getting a meal. If you can satisfy that hunger you can help people realize their full potential. 

Q: Why is it important to you to support the Fuel for Summer campaign?

A: Bonnie: Coming out of COVID, it has impacted everybody. Children have been impacted perhaps the most, particularly children in impoverished communities. It’s more important than ever, right now, to get healthy food to the kids. There are still a lot of services that aren’t available. Those normal resources that those children have, during the COVID summer, they’re probably struggling even more. 

Q: Tell us more about how TRACON Pharmaceuticals works with nonprofit partners and the company’s philanthropic efforts in addition to working with Feeding San Diego.

Charles: We’ve given to fundraisers for sarcoma patients, run by individual cancer centers. We want to help these patients maximize their treatment options. We’re part of what’s called San Diego Squared, it’s a program designed to maximize opportunities for San Diego youth by empowering tomorrow’s STEM leaders today. We take students identified by this organization on as interns. It focuses on how you actually get a career and move forward in the field. 

Q: What does ending hunger mean to you?  

A: Charles: If you’re hungry, you’re not going to realize your full potential. That’s why I think it’s so important. Your organization does that in the most economical means possible that lets an organization like ours serve as many people as possible. 

Bonnie: It’s so astounding to me to think of kids who are born into families who can’t obtain nutritious foods to grow up healthy. It’s every human’s right to be able to have nutritious food.