Pride Month Feature: A Partnership Coordinator Giving Back to Her Community

During Pride Month, we celebrate the amazing contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. We took the opportunity to speak with one of our partnership coordinators, Sam Myatt. She talked to us about how her experience as a member of the community influences her work at Feeding San Diego.

Learning to Leverage Privilege

“I am actually very fortunate in that I have not experienced food insecurity personally. But I do recognize not only does it affect the people around me, but queer people and people of the LGBTQ+ community disproportionately,” Sam shared with us. In fact, LGBTQ+ adults face food insecurity at twice the rate as others.

“I didn’t come out until I was junior in college, so it’s fairly recent,” Sam explained. “I was really, really lucky that my family and friends were very supportive. But I recognize that many queer youth and members of the community do not receive that kind of support.

“Often, youth that are not accepted by their families, the first thing is families will kick them out. And a lot of the time, these kids are minors or just freshly 18, and they really have nowhere to go or anywhere to turn. And food is going to be the first thing that comes to mind. Where am I going to get food? How am I going to get my next meal? Where am I going to eat?

“Food is so important. I mean, it impacts everything. It impacts your daily life. It impacts the way that you’re able to think and sleep. So for people, especially kids, who have never lived on their own and suddenly do not know where they’re going to get food–I recognize that it’s a very privileged position that I’m in for that to be almost incomprehensible. But I know that the work that I do reaches kids and members of the community who may not have had food otherwise.”

The Impact of Losing a Support System

When Sam lived in the Bay Area, she witnessed how coming out affected a friend’s economic stability.

“I do have a friend whose family was less than supportive of their lifestyle choices and coming out,” she confided. “The support that they had had up until coming out versus the support and sort of the communication they had with their family afterward was very strained, and they were facing a lot more financial burden than they were previously.

“From the outside, they were just another young adult trying to make friends in the area. But then, you’d get to know them and realize that hunger has no face. And coming out can just sort of turn your whole life upside down, even if you are established living on your own. Even that emotional connection can put a strain on your daily life. It’s constantly on your mind. Not everyone can look to their family for support.”

A Job That Makes a Difference

At the end of the day, Sam is proud to know that her work at Feeding San Diego helps the community to which she belongs.

“With Feeding San Diego, knowing that I can at least make an impact on someone’s life, like just make sure that they go to bed with a full stomach and can wake up and make a better decision for themselves in the morning, that’s amazing,” she shared.

As a partnership coordinator, Sam works with various agencies that help distribute food to the community. One of her partners is the North County LGBTQ Resource Center in Oceanside.

Rescued food at the North County LGBTQ Resource Center

“I recently did their site visit and heard about all of the programs they have supporting queer youth and adults and connecting that whole community,” Sam explained. “They echoed what I’ve been saying. The number one thing that queer youth who have lost the support of their families are looking for is food. They’re looking for their next meal.”

In addition to a food pantry, the center offers a wide range of services. We featured the fantastic resources they provide in last year’s Pride Month spotlight.

“I’m grateful that those resources are continuing to get the attention and the support that is needed because there will always be people who will rely on that,” Sam added.

Supporting the Community during Pride Month

During Pride Month, we put a special focus on the issues facing the LGBTQ+ community. In reality, our agency partners support the queer community year-round, whether they have LGBTQ in their names or not. Feeding San Diego’s food distributions are open to everyone facing hunger. We’re proud to have people like Sam on our team devoted to equity and building a stronger, healthier community.