The End of the ARPA Grant: How It Helped and What Happens Now

Published On: December 12th, 2024By Categories: Partnerships3.6 min read

Three years ago, Congress passed historic legislation designed to help Americans recover from the impacts of the pandemic. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocated $3 billion in supplemental funding, which was split up into 780 grants and sent to local governments across the country. The County of San Diego received a portion of those funds and awarded an ARPA grant to Feeding San Diego. Now, the funding has run out, and we are reflecting on what the grant allowed us to do and what the end of this funding source means for the communities we serve.

What Was the ARPA Grant?

The grants set up by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) had various purposes. Some grants funded workforce training partnerships to create new job opportunities. Others supported tourism to rebuild the sector after COVID. In 2021, Feeding San Diego received a three-year grant from the funds granted to the County of San Diego under the Food Assistance component of the ARPA funding.

The grant provided $750,000 each year for a total of $2,250,000 during the grant period to support Feeding San Diego’s backpack program and purchase and assemble food boxes with an assortment of dry goods. The backpack program provided bags of fresh produce and dry goods to schools with a Free or Reduced-Price Meal (FRPM) rate of 80% or higher to ensure kids had nutritious food over the weekend. The food boxes went to food distributions in specific zip codes, including large-scale food distributions and school pantries.

Volunteers at an assembly line putting together boxes with shelf-stable items

Volunteers assembling the final food boxes funded by the ARPA Grant

Measuring the Impact

For the past three years, the ARPA grant has funded the purchase of dry goods and pantry staples for food boxes and the backpack program. Since January 2022, these two programs have impacted over 200,000 San Diegans. More than 55,000 households received food boxes at 29 sites throughout San Diego County. Over 30,000 students at 28 different sites received bags through the backpack program. Together, the two programs distributed over 1.4 million pounds of groceries.

However, numbers don’t truly capture the impact of programs like these. The true impact is in the experience of those who receive the resources. We spoke with Eryn, who received a food box at the Feeding San Diego school pantry at Dewey Elementary School.

A woman, a man, and a young girl holding a box of dry goods and a bag of produce at a Feeding San Diego school pantry

Eryn (left) with her husband Keenan and daughter Nyla

“We don’t qualify for food stamps, and we’re a one-income household right now, so anything food-wise helps tremendously,” she shared. “It feels good that you guys are out here. It just feels really good. We have two growing girls and it’s really hard to keep up with her snacks and lunches, and then also making dinner and breakfast, so anything helps. Thank you for the food. Thank you for your time, your energy, your support. It’s very greatly appreciated.”

Jim, a volunteer from the San Diego Rotary Club 33 Military Affairs Committee who regularly runs the school pantry, echoed her sentiment.

A group of volunteers holding produce and food boxes at a Feeding San Diego school pantry

Jim (second from left) with other Rotary volunteers

“I think the food distribution helps because the past few years have not been the easiest on a lot of people,” Jim explained. “We’re in a part of San Diego that’s not the most resource-rich in the world. We’re delivering goods at a school that’s 80% military dependents. Money doesn’t stretch as it did. This is a tremendous help to a lot of people who need it. You can tell that for some of them, it’s a sigh of relief because they know they can make something good for their kids.”

What Happens Now

Since 2021, the ARPA grant has funded two successful Feeding San Diego programs. We’re grateful to the County of San Diego for selecting our organization to receive the funding and for its commitment to supporting hunger relief for its constituents through trusted nonprofit organizations like Feeding San Diego.

However, the demand for hunger relief continues to escalate. With the conclusion of the ARPA grant, we’ll rely on the generosity of our community to replenish the funding lost and continue to support those who rely on our resources. Find out how you can get involved with the mission to end hunger in San Diego County.