Feeding America San Diego Blog

Angels and Airwaves with Feeding America San Diego

2012-02-21T10:29:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, I got a unique opportunity to see a BackPack Program distribution at Lexington Elementary school in El Cajon. This wasn’t the usual Friday distribution. This time the band members of Angels and Airwaves were onsite to help out. Tom DeLonge, David Kennedy, Matt Wachter and Ilan Rubin of Angels and Airwaves all live here in San Diego and generously donated their time to Feeding America San Diego. Together with the help of US Navy volunteers they distributed 616 bags of food to students.

Every Friday, FASD’s BackPack program provides nutritious food and fresh produce to children at schools throughout San Diego County to help ensure that they will have something to eat over the weekend and to share with their family. Currently, the BackPack program serves nearly 2,600 students per week at 17 schools throughout San Diego County.

This day was truly special, not only for the students, but for the teachers, staff, volunteers as well as the guys from the band. Feeding America San Diego is grateful for the band and navy volunteers donating their time along with all the hard work of the staff at Lexington Elementary.

Check out the pictures below of Angels and Airwaves!

(Angels and Airwaves with FASD staff, US Navy Volunteers, and Lexington Elementary School staff)

(Center left to right David Kennedy, Matt Wachter, Ilan Rubin, and Tom DeLonge)

-Geoff

On the Front Lines: A Perspective by our CalFresh Intern

2012-02-02T10:16:00.000-08:00

In the short time that I have been with Feeding America San Diego and the Calfresh program, I have learned so much and have already been impacted by the experiences of myself and others. I remember that back when I first started I was very nervous, but also excited to begin my outreach. After my very first outreach the nervousness started to go away because the possibility of being able to help an individual or their families gave me confidence to see that by simply being out there and letting the people know that we are here to help is comforting to them. But actually being able to have the resources to help them with the process is even better, especially because the process is time consuming and at times difficult to understand.

The sites I have gone to are full of diversity. One of the challenges I have encountered is the language barrier. I would like to help as many people as possible, but I can’t communicate with all of them and at times, it is frustrating because I wonder if they are eligible for the benefits, but don’t have the resources available to them to fill out an application. The one thing I have been able to do is give a couple of people applications in their language, but helping them with the rest of the process is not really an option. I only hope that they took that application and found someone who was able to help them with it. There is only so much I can do, but I wish I could do more.

The work that FASD does is great and its benefits to the people are evident every time I go back to a site. Some of my favorite times during outreach have been when Jenny and Roberto are greeted by clients who have already been helped and have successfully received their benefits. They recognize their efforts and see that FASD really does care about the people and their situations. They trust us with their personal stories and allow us to be part of their lives, one that hopefully improves because of our help.

By Jessica Segura, CalFresh Intern

Local Gleaning Groups Help Fight Hunger

2012-01-25T10:47:00.000-08:00

Hunger in San Diego is a big problem. As such, working to end hunger in San Diego is a big job, requiring a lot of time, effort, and dedication. Fortunately, there are many people who are doing just that, and by dedicating their time and effort, they are making a big difference.

The latest and greatest example of this (if I may say so myself), is the joint effort among local volunteer gleaning groups (such as Fresh Food for Families and CropSwap Carlsbad), the San Diego Housing Opportunities Collaborative, the San Diego Hunger Coalition, and Feeding America San Diego. Over the course of two weekends in late November and early December, volunteers and staff from each of these groups gathered together to pick 3,288 lbs of fresh limes, avocadoes, and oranges from properties in Fallbrook and Escondido. Once the fruit was picked, every pound of it was then distributed through Feeding America’s distribution partners and programs to children, families, and individuals in need throughout the county!

Working alone, one can certainly make a difference. But by working together, many can make an even bigger difference. So while hunger is definitely a big problem, by joining together, we can all work toward making a BIG difference and creating a BIG solution!

If you would like to be a part of making a big difference in the fight against hunger in San Diego, please feel to call or email Paul Hammans, Food Sourcing Coordinator at Feeding America San Diego, at (858) 401-3105 or phammans@feedingamerica.org.

Paul Hammans

FASD Welcomes New Spring Development Intern

2012-01-25T10:44:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I’m the new Development and Marketing Intern here at Feeding American San Diego and hope to give an inside view of FASD and all the exciting things that happen this spring.

Let’s start with the basics: who am I? Well, I am Geoff. I just graduated from UC San Diego with a bachelor’s in chemical engineering this past June, but have a passion for non-profit work. At UCSD, I participated in a philanthropic organization to raise money from students that awards scholarships to fellow students. I’m thrilled to be interning at FASD, it’s an amazing group of people who I will get to learn from and work with for the next 5 months.

In my first week here, I’ve seen tons of volunteers, groups, and individuals, donate their time to help sort and pack nutritious food to be distributed to food insecure children and families all around San Diego County. I even saw my first giant check, (literally - see FASD Facebook page), a generous donation from Supercuts for over $11,000, which will help provide 70,000 meals to struggling San Diegans that may not otherwise have something to eat.

I look forward to reading your comments, so if there is something you want to hear more about, let me know by shooting an email to ghonda@feedingamericasd.org and I will do my best to answer your questions.

Hope you have a prosperous 2012!

Geoff Honda

The Last Week of 2011

2011-12-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much for your help in fighting hunger. As you may know, Feeding America San Diego is committed to filling as many bellies as possible this holiday season, and reaching our goal of distributing 18 million pounds of nutritious food to San Diego County by the end of the year.

This is the last week you can make a gift to FASD and receive a tax deduction for 2011. I ask that you consider supporting us at this critical moment.

MAKE A YEAR END GIFT TO FASD

I can assure you that we use our donors' generous contributions wisely, and that 97 cents out of every $1.00 donated goes directly to our programs to feed hungry children, families, and seniors.

For as little as $20, you can provide 120 meals to the 73,000 San Diegans we serve each week. Every dollar makes an impact on helping to feed those in need.

As you may know, recent reports indicate that 1 in 4 children and 1 in 5 people don't know where their next meal is coming from. This is a reality we are working to erase.

In 2011, we worked with 147 food pantries, 30 local soup kitchens, 48 other hunger-fighting agencies throughout our community to provide nutritious meals to those who need it most. With the addition of a new Mobile Pantry truck in September, our Mobile Pantry Program expanded the number of routes and distributions throughout the urban and rural parts of the County. In October, we partnered with the North County Food Bank and the Imperial Valley Food Bank to leverage our resources and distribute more meals to more families. We expect to DOUBLE the amount of food made available this month to the 97 North County agencies, and reach even more families in Imperial County.

We need your help to continue to improve our organization and reach even more families in 2012.

If you have any questions about making a contribution, please don't hesitate to contact James Wright, Individual Giving and Donor Relations Manager, by phone at 858-452-3663 extension 102, or by email at jawright@feedingamericasd.org.

Again, thank you for your support of our organization. We greatly appreciate it. On behalf of the FASD team, Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Warm Regards,

Jennifer Gilmore

Executive Director

Ralph’s Grocery Company Brings Holiday Hope to Feeding America San Diego

2011-12-19T16:40:00.000-08:00

We wanted to take a minute to highlight one of our amazing partners who help us give back to the hungry this holiday season. Ralph’s Grocery Company is inviting their customers to help support Feeding America San Diego and families in need through their “Bringing Hope to the Table®” holiday initiative.

The hunger initiative “Bringing Hope to the Table®” runs through December 31, 2011 and gives Ralph’s customers the opportunity to donate $1, $3, or $5 to Feeding America San Diego at their local neighborhood checkstand.

For those that miss the opportunity to donate before December 31, Ralph’s customers can continue to help fight hunger by donating their spare change in collection canisters located at the checkstands. This checkstand initiative comes to a close on January 28, 2012.

This generous initiative has already brought more than $23,000 in donations for Feeding America San Diego, and we feel so blessed to be able to partner with such a generous organization! Any help we can get— whether it is $1 or extra change in someone’s pocket— will put us one step closer to getting food on the tables of hungry families this holiday season.

Thank You For Helping Us giveBIG!

2011-12-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

THANK YOU for supporting us during the giveBIG San Diego Campaign! We are continually in awe of all of our generous supporters.

Through the giveBig campaign and all of your donations, we raised $16,120 to be matched by the San Diego Foundation. That equals 193,440 meals that we are going to be able to provide to the 1 in 5 people who are food-insecure in San Diego.

We cannot thank you all enough for your donations. Because of your support, we’ll be able to make the holidays brighter for thousands of families in need … right here in our backyard!

Give BIG with the San Diego Foundation!

2011-12-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

Help us spread the word and fill the plates of San Diego families this Holiday season!

From 7 a.m. this morning through 7 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 15), donations made on the Feeding America San Diego page on the San Diego Foundation giveBIG website will be matched!

We are so excited about this opportunity and are thrilled that any donations our supporters make will have even more of an impact!

How It Works:

Starting this morning, you can visit the Give Big website (www.sdfoundation.org/HowtoGive/giveBIG) and will be prompted to find nonprofits in San Diego County that you would like to give to.
You can then make a contribution through the FASD page on the giveBig website.
Once the transaction is complete, you will receive an email immediately from giveBig, thanking you for your support.

How You Can Help:

Spread the word! Tell your friends and family and encourage them to donate. Visit us on our Facebook page (facebook.com/feedingamericasd) or Twitter page (twitter.com/feedingsandiego) and help share the information!
Donate! Visit www.givebigsandiego.org and make you dollars count!

Thank you for your continued support!

Working together, finding success – Feeding America highlighted

2011-12-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

We at Feeding America San Diego wanted to share some great news with our supporters. This week, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the number one news source for nonprofit organizations, did a wonderful two-page feature on the Feeding America network- highlighting all the incredible work we have collectively done in the past few years.

The author of the article writes "For Feeding America, the umbrella group that represents food banks, the first-time display of color was a coming-out party of sorts, as the once-quiet organization has transformed itself into a fund-raising powerhouse...Feeding America will manage to increase contributions (to member food banks) to nearly $115-million in the fiscal year that ends in June, compared with $33-million in (new CEO, Vicki B. Escarra's) first year. What’s more, the group has raised nearly half of the $500-million it hopes to garner in a five-year drive that started in 2009. The organization has also increased pounds of donated food by 57 percent. Such gains enabled food banks to aid 37 million people last year, a number that has grown by 46 percent in the past five years."

We are so proud and privileged to be a part of the Feeding America network. The network and it's members constantly strive to do better and we are continually impressed by the hard work and dedication of all of the chapters. We want to again thank our volunteers and donors as well, because without all of our supporters here at Feeding America San Diego, and supporters nationwide, we wouldn't be able to provide food to more than 37 million people in all communities who are in need.

You can read the full article as well as a recent Forbes article on the Feeding America network below:
A Dynamic CEO Leader Keeps Food Charity's Cupboards Full by Chronicle of PhilanthropyFeeding America ranks No. 3 on Forbes Magazine's list of "The 200 Largest U.S. Charities" for 2011.

An Experience to Be Truly Thankful For

2011-12-03T14:59:00.000-08:00

We wanted to share a bit of inspiring words from one of our new interns, Manasi, about her first experience with FASD and Calfresh earlier this week. Words to help us keep on going strong through the holiday season!

This is the time of year when we’re surrounded by sparkling holiday lights and colorful festive decorations, a time of year when everyone’s expected to be jolly and full of holiday spirit. While people are worrying about things like finding a new outfit to wear to a holiday party or shopping for the perfect gifts for friends and family, there are many in our community who are concerned about not being able to feed their families for the rest of the week. I know it sounds cliché, but it is truly a rude awakening to how much we take for granted when people in our own backyard are living with the painful and harsh reality of hunger. No matter how many volunteer experiences you have or how many underserved populations you have interacted with, seeing people without adequate basic human needs always leaves you with a sense of sorrow and helplessness.

However, my first experience with Feeding America’s Mobile Pantry gave me an opportunity to feel a little less helpless. As we started driving out to the city of Campo with the Mobile Pantry, I was astounded to learn that there was no restriction on who could receive food from this program nor was there a limitation on how many people they could pick up food for. That, to me, was very impressive. It gave me hope knowing that people who were receiving food that day, along with their families, would not have to go to bed hungry that night. Seeing people standing in line with their empty bags and boxes and watching as their eyes lit up when the truck drove up was an inspiring start to the morning.

After we set up our CalFresh table, I was a bit nervous yet excited when the first gentleman came up to me asking about the program. After explaining that CalFresh is the new name for food stamps, I proceeded to help him check his and his families' eligibility. At that moment, I noticed this glimpse of hope in his eye when he realized we wanted to help him and that Feeding America might be able to relieve some of the stress he was facing, ensuring that his family does not go hungry.

I truly felt like I saw and felt the power of the human spirit while I was there and it is something we should all take inspiration from to find more ways to give back. I could go on and on about my experience but with the risk of sounding too melodramatic and writing too long of a blog entry, I will conclude by saying that my first experience was eye-opening and a bit saddening. However, it’s inspiring to know that I have months ahead of me to try to help more people apply for CalFresh and hopefully help to feed more families. I can’t wait to go back next week!

- Manasi Ghatge

Thanks for Giving!

2011-12-01T16:40:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday, most of sat around the dinner table with family and friends, enjoying a delicious turkey day meal, sharing what we’re most thankful for. For the 73,000 families we serve each week, the holiday season is an especially painful time. This is why we are working even harder to fill as many bellies as we can during the holiday season.

We would like to dedicate this Thanks for Giving blog to you – our volunteers, our donors, our supporters. We are so thankful of all you do to support our organization. We would not exist without your help. It’s because of your many hours, pounds of food, and dollars, that struggling San Diegan families were hopeful on November 24th because their neighbors are doing all they can to help them put food on their tables.

Here are some of the specific ways you have helped our organization:

The Gift of Time

· In just the last two months, 1,646 volunteers have given 3,835 hours to our organization, helping us sort food, pack bags, and support events.

The Gift of Food

· This fall we have distributed over 350,000 pounds of donated food to struggling children, families, and seniors in our community.

The Gift of Funds

· Since July, over 3,100 people made their first gift to our organization, and joined the Feeding America San Diego family. In addition, our Harvest Club has grown to nearly 40 donors, which support our organization with generous contributions each month.

Again, thank you to our volunteers, donors, and supporters for making this Thanksgiving a special one for those we serve. Because of your assistance, we are on track to meet our goal of distributing 18 million pounds of food by the end of this year. We will continue to remain dedicated to putting your generous contributions to effective use.

On behalf of the Board, staff, and especially those we serve, we wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season!

Ways to Give Back This Holiday Season

2011-11-24T17:49:00.001-08:00

The holidays are a time to reflect on everything we have to be grateful for. They are also a time to help out others that are less fortunate and make for the perfect opportunity to give back to the community. While it’s great to help all year round, there’s always a little extra need during the holiday season. Make this holiday season a little brighter for others.

Feeding America San Diego wants this holiday season to be full of hope for all families. There are many opportunities for support this season that will help us to provide nourishment and hope for many hungry neighbors during difficult times. Check out all the ways that you can spread the holiday cheer this season:

· Ralph’s "Bringing Hope to the Table Donation" program will run from Tuesday, November 22nd through Saturday, December 31st. – When shopping at your local Ralphs you can make a $1, $3 or $5 donation at the check stand for Feeding America San Diego.

· Gift cards that Give Back: This holiday season purchase your gift cards through Feeding America San Diego and Community Connection. This is the gift that gives back! Purchase your gift card valid at over 60 national locations such as Macy’s, Olive Garden, Gap, Old Navy, Roy’s, to name a few, for those on your list this year and FASD will receive a portion of all gift cards sold. Find participating stores and purchase your holiday gift cards here.

· Christmas Tabernacle: The spirit of Christmas comes alive this December with San Diego’s 3-day Christmas Tabernacle Festival which will take place at Liberty Station December 16^th—December 18^th from 11am to 8pm. There will a wide range of activities for all ages including a special FASD workshop. Visit www.christmastabernacle.com for more information.

· Beringer Million Meals Campaign: With 3 ways to join the Beringer Million Meals Campaign, they’ve made it easier than ever to help support FASD.

o Purchase a bottle of Beringer Founders’ Estate wine from your local Ralphs or retailer and for every bottle purchased, Beringer will donate meals to FASD.

o Interact with Beringer Million Meals through Facebook. Like them, Check in, Tweet…It’s easy to help the hungry with Beringer! Interact Now

o Host a Charity Dinner in your home and ask friends to support FASD for the amount they would have paid for that meal in a restaurant. Check out the website for delicious recipes from Jamie and Bobby Dean and helpful tips to make your charity dinner a huge success! Read More

· Give a Meal Campaign and Bank of America: You can triple your giving this holiday season! For every $1 you give to Feeding America San Diego as part of Feeding America’s Give a Meal campaign, Bank of America will give $2, up to $500,000 to the Feeding America network. To donate, go to: feedingamerica.org/bankofamerica and select “your local food bank” when donating.

· iGive Cards: Still need Holiday cards this season? Create your own through iGiveCards.com and with every purchase of a card, iGiveCards will give a portion to Feeding America San Diego. Spread double the cheer this holiday season. www.igivecards.com/fasd

· Cocos: Add something sweet to someone’s holiday meal this year by purchasing a pie at participating Coco’s and Carrow’s locations to be donated to FASD. The pies will then be freshly baked and distributed out to those less fortunate over the holidays.

· TLC's stars share their favorite recipes to benefit Feeding America: TLC has partnered with stars of some of TLC’s most popular shows — Cake Boss, Say Yes to the Dress, DC Cupcakes, The Little Couple, 19 Kids and Counting, What Not to Wear and more. The result — The Pampered Chef® Cookbook for a Cause, Volume 2. For every cook book sold, $1 will go to Feeding America San Diego. Purchase online for $3 here

Hope for the Holidays this Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

It’s our holiday wish that the upcoming festive season be filled with food for families in need. There are many ways that our partner agencies, our staff, our amazing volunteers, and our incredible donors are helping make that wish come true this Thanksgiving.

Thousands of food-insecure families will be able to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal tomorrow and we could not be more pleased to be a part of it. More than 500 New Seasons Church and Bank of America volunteers distributed fresh food staples, like as bread, fruits and vegetables, to 2,000 local families last weekend, in addition to 500 Ovengold® Turkeys, generously donated by Boar’s Head!

With 1 in 4 children in San Diego dealing with food insecurity, generous local and national partners have helped us step-up our school outreach this Thanksgiving. Our BackPack Program and our School Pantry program, with partners like Newman’s Own and Target, ensured that hundreds of children left school for the holiday break with nutritious food in their backpacks.

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without our Holiday Basket distribution through our partner agencies and Mobile Pantry program, and the annual House of Giving event in partnership with House of Blues San Diego that will feed 600 San Diego Unified School District children and their families tomorrow.

This Thanksgiving, we’re more thankful than ever for all of you who give us your time, money and talents to make sure more families have warm meals on their plates tomorrow. We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!

Tackling Hunger in San Diego — One Touchdown at a Time!

2011-11-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

Being the wife of an NFL coach, I hear a lot of statistics. Rushing yards, receptions, touchdowns— those stats are a part of daily conversations. One stat I wasn’t prepared for was “one in five.” Did you know that nearly one in five San Diegans are struggling to put food on their tables? My husband, Norv, and I heard that stat and realized we couldn’t sit on the sidelines as so many San Diegans struggle to make ends meet.

We decided that this football season, Charger touchdowns would come with an even sweeter victory: blitzing hunger in San Diego. Norv and I partnered with our friends at Melissa’s Produce to donate $1000 for every touchdown that the Chargers score this season to Feeding America San Diego. Last year the Chargers scored 50 touchdowns. So far this season we’re at 23 touchdowns to date— that’s $23,000 to fight hunger in our backyard!

You can help, too. Just log on to Feeding American San Diego and join the fight against hunger. You can show your team sprit with a one-time gift, or sign up for a per-touchdown pledge.

By donating even a single dollar per touchdown, you can help us tackle hunger in San Diego. For every $1 donated, Feeding America San Diego can provide six meals for the hungry.

So far this season, with your pledges, we’ve already raised enough money to provide over 135,000 meals through Feeding America San Diego. But as the stats grow on food insecurity in San Diego, that’s only scratching the service. Please show your team spirit today and sign up now to pledge even $1 for every Chargers’ touchdown this season! And let’s tackle hunger in San Diego!

- Nancy Turner

Facing Hunger in San Diego and Statewide by Senator Christine Kehoe

2011-11-02T16:47:00.000-07:00

We are so pleased that Senator Christine Kehoe took the time to visit us last month and learn a little more about the cause. Check out her thoughts on hunger and Feeding America San Diego featured in her November newsletter:

Facing Hunger in San Diego and Statewide

A recent report released by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) showed that 1 in 7 people in San Diego were facing food hardship - more than 440,000 people each year. Some estimate it may now be as high as 1 in 5 people facing hunger daily in our community. That means that many of our neighbors will be hungry this holiday season.

I had the opportunity to tour Feeding America's warehouse in October and learned more about the impact of hunger on my constituents. Feeding America San Diego distributes 1.5 million pounds of food a month, through partnerships with their national affiliate, corporate donors, local grocery stores, and raising funds to purchase goods. They distribute the food through local food banks as well as with their mobile food pantry program which delivers food into rural and hard-to-reach areas sometimes called "food deserts."

In October the Governor signed legislation that I supported that will help address hunger in California:

AB 152 (Fuentes) increases access to fresh and healthy California-grown foods for low-income Californians by offering California growers a 10% tax credit for donating fresh fruits and vegetables to nonprofit organizations such as food banks.
AB 6 (Fuentes) seeks to increase access to and participation in the CalFresh program by eliminating barriers to benefits. Increasing participation addresses hunger in our community while bringing billions of dollars in additional federal benefits to our state and generating an estimated $8.7 billion in economic activity.
AB 69 (Beall) specifically addresses the needs of California's CalFresh eligible senior population, only 10% of whom enroll in the program. This bill would allow counties to use data from the Social Security Administration to identify low income seniors and assist with their enrollment in the CalFresh program.

For further information on any of these bills, visit www.leginfo.ca.gov. To learn more about Feeding America and to find your local food bank, visit www.feedingamericasd.org

San Diego Food Banks Join Forces

2011-10-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

Feeding America San Diego (FASD) and North County’s Food Bank are pleased to announce a new partnership that will allow the food banks to provide more than 20 million pounds of food each year to San Diegans in need.

Through the Redistribution Organization (RDO) partnership, North County’s food bank is able to receive and distribute food obtained through the Feeding America network. As a member of the Feeding America network, FASD receives access to 2.3 billion pounds of donated food annually that directly benefits hungry San Diegans. There are currently 440,000 people facing food insecurity in San Diego County, including one in four children.

“Over the past several years, our organizations have experienced tremendous growth in response to an unprecedented demand for food. Families are struggling to stay afloat and with the unemployment rate stuck above nine percent, we don’t expect this demand to slow down. That is why we are partnering with our friends at North County’s Food Bank to expand our reach, stretch our donor dollars and better serve families in need.

Since 2009, North County’s Food Bank has experienced a 79 percent increase in demand for food. The new partnership is expected to double the pounds of food distributed by North County’s Food Bank in the first month. The additional food will serve the food bank’s 97 community partner agencies to help feed local children, families and seniors in North County.

“We are very excited about the benefits this new partnership will bring to our region,” said Stan Miller, executive director of North County Community Services, the parent organization for North County’s Food Bank. “Demand for food in Northern San Diego County peaked in 2009 and has stayed at historically high levels ever since. In the first thirty days of this partnership the amount of food available to our food bank’s agency partners will double. That goes a long way towards meeting the increased demand. “

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, we celebrated this new partnership by delivering a truckload of healthy food to stock the shelves of North County’s Food Bank in San Marcos.

By becoming a partner of Feeding America San Diego, North County’s Food Bank meets the same standards of all Feeding America member food banks in terms of operations and distribution efforts.

We made this confident decision to work in partnership with the goal of leveraging our resources, distributing more food, raising more funds, increasing awareness, building capacity, and advocating on behalf of San Diego’s hungry.

We appreciate everyone’s continuing support and look forward to working towards a hunger free and healthy San Diego!

The Home of Hunger

2011-10-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a generous grant by ConAgra Foods and Feeding America, we are proud to welcome Rachel Kramer to our team as our first ConAgra Foods Child Hunger Corps Member. During her two year tenure, Rachel will be working holistically with all FASD departments as well as our agencies and other local resources in order to compile a comprehensive child hunger needs assessment.

I come from the mitten. The land of rain, sleet, snow, and sun, all in one day. Where there is a definite difference between the words “Michigan” and “State” when it comes to college game days. And yes, I am one of those people that sticks out a “high-five” as a makeshift map when people ask me where I am from. Where is home, you ask? The Midwest. The great state of Michigan, to be exact.

My new home, as I venture off on this two year journey as a Child Hunger Corps member, is in the always sunny state of California. Now, let me tell you, that “always sunny” part isn’t exactly true. Contrary to popular belief, I’ve experienced rain, heavy fog, and a blackout since I’ve been here. Regardless, it is a beautiful place to live and call home. Compared to my hometown of Holt, Michigan, San Diego is an extremely densely populated city and an even larger county, rivaling in size to the entire state of Delaware. In short, this means that San Diego County is home to a lot of people, 441,730 of whom are food insecure. To make matters worse 177,560 of the 441,730 people that are food insecure, are children, astaggering 24.2% of all kids.

My role as a Corps member is to aid in diminishing those numbers. To help by putting one extrameal or supplemental snack on a child’s plate. To alleviate some of those hunger pains as a child bites into a fresh plum they received from their BackPack bag. “To feed the hungry, to advocate, to educate,” the vital mission of Feeding America San Diego. From emergency food distributions to over 600families that were not able to receive their BackPack bags due to the widespread black out, to a Nutrition Security Task Force meeting to discusssuccessful efforts of CalFresh outreach, to a School Pantry Coordinator Roundtable to kick-start our first full year of the program, FASD truly lives and breathes this mission daily.

Through honest dialogue and exchange, San Diego County has begun the conversation about food security in their own backyard. We all have come to realize that the home of hunger is around every corner, lingering in every neighborhood no matter the shape, size, or color. Hunger does not discriminate and neither should we. The home of hunger is not only in San Diego County, but across the entire nation, the whole globe. As myself, the other 16 corps members, and the thousands of food banks and partner agencies work togetherthese next two years and beyond, our aspiration is to change the home of hunger to absolutely nowhere at all.

Rachel Kramer – Feeding America San Diego, ConAgra Child Hunger Corps member

Hunger Action Month Recap: Thank you San Diego!

2011-10-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

What an amazing Hunger Action Month this September was. Thank you all for your amazing support - from volunteering and raising awareness to providing funds, this month made a huge impact on hunger relief San Diego County. Take a moment to look at photos and see all the great events HERE.

Congratulations to all of our Finest City Food Fight participants. It was truly a fight down to the last minute to see which of the 32 companies raised the most pounds of food to feed those in need. In just 30 days, teams collectively raised an impressive $37,400, volunteered for 550 hours, and brought in 4,860 pounds of food. Your hard work will provide nearly 231,000 meals to children, families, and seniors struggling to get food in San Diego - amazing work!

We were pleased to celebrate the launch of our second Mobile Pantry thanks to the support of Kraft Foods and Ralphs. We were also part of the San Diego Film Festival as the sponsor of the premiere of One in Seven: The New Face of Hunger and to announce the launch of Donate Don't Dump.

September also marked an important milestone for raising awareness with legislators about hunger relief. FASD sent more than 700 paper plates to the State Capitol Building in Sacramento to help advocate for hungry families in our communities. The authors of the messages on these plates live all over San Diego county. In addition, we partnered with the Hunger Coalition and North County Food Bank to participate in the CalFresh Challenge. The weeklongevent challenged individuals to live for a week on food stamps and their stories were truly inspiring.

So much great work to celebrate! I look forward to working with everyone to Scare Away Hunger this October as we prepare for the holidays.

Thank you for all you do to help our community,

Jennifer Gilmore

Executive Director of Feeding America San Diego

Game day treat from Melissa's Produce

2011-10-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to the first of (hopefully!) many recipes that I’m excited to share with you thanks to Melissa’s Produce. A few weeks back we at Feeding America San Diego were excited to hear about the partnership that San Diego Chargers Coach Norv Turner and his family formed with Melissa’s, a specialty produce company based out of Los Angeles. In addition to produce, Melissa’s has a whole range of recipes featured in a cookbook called Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce that I am lucky enough to have in my possession. After spending quite a bit of time debating over which recipe to start with, I found myself cooking Garden Enchiladas with my culinary extraordinaire husband this weekend.

I have to say that these turned out incredible. I was a bit skeptical going in because I had never made tomatillo sauce before but the flavors were incredible and it wasn’t very hard either. You can be sure to get your vegetable intake for the day and they are SO filling, so they’ll go a long way. I had way more tomatillo sauce than I needed so I was able to use it again for other meals. Without further ado, here is the recipe:

Garden Enchiladas

Yield: 12 enchiladas

Tomatillo Sauce

30 tomatillos, $2.26
5-6 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, $1.06, Please note that this recipe does not ask you to de-seed the jalapenos. This made for a sauce that was way too spicy for my taste buds. If you’re sensitive to heat like I am, I recommend de-seeding at least a few of the jalapenos!
9 medium cloves garlic, peeled, $0.33
1-1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick, $0.60
1 tablespoon salt, (on hand)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, (on hand)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, $0.25

Filling

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, (on hand)
1 small yellow onion, chopped, $0.30
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced, $0.25
1 cup diced zucchini, $0.40
1 cup diced yellow crookneck squash, $1.22
2 cups corn kernels, $1.99
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, diced, $1.52
1 tablespoon dried oregano or 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves, (on hand)
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, (on hand)
Salt, (on hand)

Assembly

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas $1.69 for 30, $0.68 for 12
Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray (on hand)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese $3.95

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Prepare sauce: Peel husks off tomatillos and rinse with water; dry with paper towel, rubbing surface to remove any sticky film. Place on rimmed baking sheet(s) with chiles, garlic, and onion. Roast 10 to 15 minutes or until tomatillos are soft and begin to char. In my oven, this was more like 20 minutes. Place mixture in blender in several batches and whirl until pureed (hold down top firmly with potholder). Add salt, oil, and juice; stir to combine. I think that less oil might have been better. Pour about 2/3 of mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish (use to dip tortillas); reserve 1/3 of sauce for topping in step 6. I poured enough into the dish to make about a 1 inch layer – much less than 1/3 of the sauce.

3. Prepare filling: In large, deep skillet heat olive oil or vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Add onion, pepper, zucchini, crookneck squash, corn, and mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened about 5 to 7 minutes. Add oregano and cumin, and season with salt to taste.

4. Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat. Mist both sides of each tortilla with cooking spray. Warm tortillas on griddle until heated through, about 40 to 60 seconds per side. They should be heated enough so they are crusty on exterior, but still completely flexible. Dip each tortilla into sauce just to moisten.

5. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1 cup of the leftover tomatillo sauce over bottom of dish. Place 1/2 cup vegetable mixture in center of 1 tortilla and top with about 1 tablespoon cheese; roll up to enclose filling. Place enchilada seam side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and vegetable mixture. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas (keeping reserved sauce for serving), then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 25 minutes. Make sure that your aluminum foil does not touch the enchiladas or else you’ll lose all of your cheese!

6. Heat reserved sauce for optional topping. Spoon a little sauce over each serving and serve.

Nutritional information (per enchilada): Calories 250, fat calories 120; total fat 14 grams, sat fat 4.5 grams, cholesterol 15 milligrams; sodium 320 milligrams; total carbohydrates 15 grams, fiber 5 grams, sugars 7 grams; protein 9 grams; vitamin A IUs 8%; vitamin C 50%; calcium 20%; iron 10%.

Cook's Note: If sauce is too thick, stir in a little chicken broth or vegetable broth. The cookbook also recommends doubling the amount of corn used and omitting the squash if you happen to have an abundance of corn on hand.

Total: $15.82 – $2.25 (half of the sauce used) = $12.56, or $1.05 per enchilada

In other words, this meal turned out to be pretty affordable! Full disclosure, I bought the ingredients from the Sprouts by my house. The dish lasted my husband and I a couple of days and seemed to only get better with time.

Partner Profile: Suzie's Farm

2011-10-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

Did you know that 40 percent of the food we distribute is fresh produce? Check out this blog from a FASD team member's experience visiting Suzie's Farm, one of our local food partners:

Earlier in the summer, I had the pleasure of visiting with one of our newest donors, Suzie's Farm. While being led on an expertly guided tour of the farm by Elle Jensen, farm apprentice extraordinaire, I saw (and tasted!) first-hand what Suzie’s Farm is all about: a place where real food is grown by real people.

Covering 70 acres in the southwest corner of the county, Suzie's Farm has been growing fresh organic vegetables since its inception just a few of years ago. Within just that short time span, Suzie's Farm has come to be known as one of the leading organic growers within the county.

Operating as a Community Supported Agriculture grower, a vendor at 10 local area farmer’s markets, and a supplier to local area restaurants as well as the San Diego Unified School District, Suzie’s Farm now also has the distinction of having donated over 11,000 lbs of fresh, nutritious produce to Feeding America San Diego since the beginning of July: this is the equivalent of over 9,200 meals in just over two months!

Thanks to the dedicated hard work and generosity of Suzie’s Farm’s owners and staff, Feeding America San Diego is now able to provide the children, families, and seniors who rely on our services with great tasting, organically grown and highly nutritious food each week! Thank you, Suzie’s Farm!

-Paul Hammans, Food Sourcing Coordinator for Feeding America San Diego

Questions or comments? Contact Paul at (858) 401-3105 or phammans@feedingamerica.org.

And the winners are...

2011-10-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

We’re excited to announce the winners of our Finest City Food Fight! More than 30 companies across San Diego County took a stand against hunger and competed to support Feeding America San Diego during September’s Hunger Action Month.

In 30 days, the teams collectively raised an impressive $37,400, volunteered for 550 hours and brought in 4,860 pounds of food. This hard work will provide nearly 231,000 meals to children, families and seniors struggling to get food in San Diego. Amazing job to all of our participants!

Here are the 2011 Finest City Food Fight Champions:

Law:  

#1: Cooley LLP

#2: DLA Piper LLP 

#3: Fish & Richardson P.C.

‘Kitchen Sink:’  

#1: Ameriprise Financial Services

#2: The Neilson Company

#3: Petco

Hospitality:  

#1: Naked Café  

#2: The Cheesecake Factory 

#3: The Hotel del Coronado 

 Accounting/BioTech 

#1 Ernst & Young  

#2: Althea Technologies 

#3: AT&T

PER CAPITA CHAMPIONS (for all categories): 

#1: Naked Cafe 

#2: DLA Piper 

#3: Ameriprise Financial Services

STANDOUT AWARDS: 

Champions of Funds: Cooley (raising $13,337) and DLA Piper (raising $10,445!) 

Champion of Volunteering: The Hotel del Coronado (donating 134 volunteer hours!) 

Champion of Food Drives: The Cheesecake Factory (contributing 2,659 pounds of food!)

On behalf of the staff, Board, and those that we serve at Feeding America San Diego - thank you to all of our participants for helping to feed children, families and seniors throughout San Diego. As we enter into the holiday season, we hope you will continue to show your support at a time when it helps struggling families the most. Learn more at www.feedingamericasd.org!

Finest City Food Fight Teams Step Up!

2011-10-06T11:41:00.001-07:00

As a an exciting way for companies to get involved during September’s Hunger Action Month, we challenged local businesses to help fight hunger with a unique competition: the Finest City Food Fight.

The outpouring of support from the business community has been inspiring! We are so excited to see more than 30 companies join the challenge to raise funds and food for hungry families in need.

And that’s not all, throughout the month each of our participating companies came up with fun and interactive ways to engage employees and ‘raise pounds of food.’ We’d like to thank all of our participating teams and share a few success stories from the month-long challenge.

Here’s a look at how some of our teams creatively raised pounds of food this September:

· Team Petco baked up a storm! Employees hosted a bake sale at their office with a ‘make your own price/donation’ setup. This endeavor helped raise $414 in baked goods alone!

· Ernst & Young hosted “Denim Thursdays” – who wouldn’t want to be casual and support hunger at the same time?

· While generating financial support from the team members at The Cheesecake Factory, employees took it to the next level for the food drive aspect and engaged their children’s schools to join in– collaboratively hosting a Peanut Butter Food Drive.

· Knobbe, Marten’s Olsen & Bear LLP hosted their own “Breakfast Club Diner” at their office kitchen and cooked up some tasty food to help raise funds and awareness!

· The Hotel del Coronado revved up the challenge by creating an internal competition, with departments going against departments to see who could make the largest impact on hunger.

We hope these stories will inspire other businesses to get involved and give back to help fight hunger in San Diego!

The holiday season is quickly approaching and we encourage all companies – big and small – to check out our website for more information on how to set up group volunteer activities or donations.

Stay tuned for more information on the next Finest City Food Fight challenge!

Join the CalFresh Challenge

2011-09-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

This week, Feeding America San Diego (FASD) joined the San Diego Hunger Coalition and North County Community Services to kick off the CalFresh budget challenge. The challenge gives participants an opportunity to experience what it is like to eat on the average CalFresh benefit in California of $4.36 per day, for one week.

At the beginning of this week, 35 community members came to our distribution center to take the CalFresh pledge and raise awareness about the underutilization of Food Stamps in San Diego County. Are you up to the Challenge of living on food stamps for a week?

Check out the blog from one of our FASD staff members as she chronicles her experience taking the challenge and her daily meal plan:

Tuesday, September 27th

It’s the second day of the challenge. I took a look at my fridge tonight as I was cooking dinner and it definitely looks barren, but I know that the vegetables I have in there can go a long way.

To be honest, I can’t stop feeling like the challenge may be easy for me...that my coupon-bought, low-priced vegetables from Fresh N’ Easy can stretch pan-fuls. But of course, due to the fact that my household is vegan, my budget has been relieved from more costly items like meat and certain diary products. But even then, doesn’t my own restricted diet on a Calfresh budget show the power of this program to change the lives of hungry families with their own dietary restrictions? Doesn’t it attest to the obscured purpose of Calfresh; healthy and fresh eating?

It certainly may. But, then again, it isn’t all that simple. I realize that my barren fridge feels full because I am doing some extra-careful meal planning this week and the reality is, for my own life and the life of many others, planning is a luxury that comes in times of calm. Planning is difficult for busy lives and even more difficult for stressful lives. The stress of poverty is never to be underestimated. I’d like to carefully plan my meals but what if negotiating with the landlord regarding my eviction comes before that? And then my kid’s homework or an important phone call from school? What comes first, planning a difficult budget or planning the bus route to the Family Resource Center for a Medi-Cal appointment?

It’s not my financial budget that is unnerving to me this week, it is my privilege to plan, worry, and analyze about what I am going to eat for a week. It is the time, place, and calm that allows me to think about my food so I am able survive on $30.52 a week. It is, in essence, my very own life security that has meaningful impacts on my food security.

It surely has taken a lot of energy planning my meals and staying healthy this week.

And that’s when I have to wonder, wouldn’t it be nice if we tried to create a society that allowed everyone to not only afford food but to also be able to afford something completely invaluable---security.

Monday, September 26th:

Breakfast: Piece of Fruit

Lunch: Green Pepper and Onion Fajita with Corn Tortillas and Black Beans

Dinner: Brown rice with baked butternut squash

Snack: Whole wheat crackers with hummus

Tuesday, September 27th:

Breakfast: Whole wheat bread with fig jam (made from the garden of my mother)

Lunch: Brown rice with baked butternut squash

Dinner: Whole wheat pasta with sauteed tomatoes, onions, zucchini, and tofu.

Snack: Whole wheat crackers with hummus. Melon.

Wednesday, September 28th:

Breakfast: Whole wheat bread with fig jam

Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with sauteed tomatoes, onions, zucchini, and tofu.

Dinner: Potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and onion dish.

With San Diego's CalFresh participation the lowest in the country, FASD has implemented a comprehensive strategy to increase the number of eligible families applying for and receiving assistance. Learn more about our program or resources here.

Finest City Food Fight: Half Way There

2011-09-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

We’re half way through Hunger Action Month and we’re excited to announce that our Finest City Food Fight participants are making great strides toward fighting hunger.

So far, we have 31 companies competing in our Finest City Food Fight and combined, the companies have raised more than 26,000 pounds of food!

Here’s a look at the leaders in each category so far:

1^st Place:

- Law: Team Cooley, LLP

- Accounting /BioTech: Team Ernst & Young

- Hospitality: Team Naked Café

- “Kitchen Sink”: Team PETCO

Great job teams!

Companies and their employees have through the rest of the month to raise pounds of food by donating funds online through their team’s Virtual Food Drive, volunteering time and/or donating food directly to FASD.

So far, we’ve hosted great volunteer events at our distribution center with teams like Naked Café, Ameriprise Financial Services and Hotel Del Coronado. We appreciate the support of all of our teams, their friends and families!

Stay tuned, because we’ll be revealing the Finest City Food Fight champion at the end of the month! And don’t forget that there is still time to participate. Companies can register online to receive a Food Fight Handbook and Quick Start Guide that includes instructions, tips and tools for the competition. Each company will also be able to customize their own virtual food drive web page for online giving.

All proceeds raised during the month-long challenge will directly benefit FASD and the 73,000 families, children and seniors the organization feeds each week.

A Blackout Doesn't Stop Feeding America San Diego

2011-09-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

When a countywide blackout closed San Diego schools, Feeding America San Diego staff realized hundreds of kids who participate in our regular BackPack distributions on Fridays may have to face a hungry weekend.

To make sure the kids would have food they need over the weekend when free-and- reduced breakfast and lunches are not available, FASD put together an impromptu Mobile Pantry style distribution in El Cajon in order to get food to at least some of the families that were counting on it for the weekend. We decided to fill our Mobile Pantry truck with pasta, spaghetti sauce, plums, green bell peppers, potatoes, and bread to hold an emergency distribution.

With the "phone tree" system down, FASD staff was able to work with Lexington Elementary's principal, Sylvia Casa-Werkman, to set up a distribution in the Lexington parking lot, and we called the local church to help spread the word about this out of the blue distribution. As we drove the truck down, we had no idea what to expect.

Before we could even park the truck, we noticed people waiting in the parking lot. Willie, our Mobile Pantry Coordinator, quickly recruited a few volunteers from the small crowd to help us prepare the bags of pasta/sauce and potatoes/peppers/plums. We were also excited to see that Lexington BackPack Coordinator, Tita Bautista, had heard about our plans and decided to come down and lend a hand, along with one of the Marine volunteers that helps with Lexington’s distribution each week.

6,000 pounds of plums, potatoes, pasta, green bell peppers, and fresh bread later, we had served 325 families in just one hour today. Almost 600 children, moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas showed up to receive food for the weekend. Some students even brought their empty decorated BackPack bags from last week!

San Diego Business Leaders & Restaurant Owners: You’ve Been Challenged!

2011-08-24T16:48:00.000-07:00

JOIN THE FINEST CITY FOOD FIGHT THIS SEPTEMBER:

This September, Feeding America San Diego (FASD) is challenging San Diego’s top companies to support hunger relief in a new way – with a good ol’ fashioned competition!

The Finest City Food Fight invites local businesses, restaurants and organizations to compete against their industry competitors to see who can raise the most pounds of food during September’s Hunger Action Month. Our goal is to engage the local business community to help raise awareness – and HALF A MILLION pounds of food for the 440,000 local San Diegans impacted by hunger.

We’re excited to announce that leaders from San Diego’s top industries have already stepped up to the challenge, including DLA Piper, Ernst and Young, the Hotel del Coronado, Naked Cafe and Petco. We invite ALL local companies, regardless of size, to join the fight in the following categories: law firms, accounting firms, technology and biotech firms, restaurants and the “kitchen sink” category, which includes all other businesses.

Starting September 1, employees at each participating company will have the opportunity to ‘raise pounds of food’ by donating funds online through their team’s Virtual Food Drive, volunteering time and/or donating food directly to FASD. At the end of the month, the company in each category that has raised the most ‘pounds of food’ will be named the Finest City Food Fight Champion and have bragging rights for the year to come.

All proceeds raised during the month-long challenge will directly benefit FASD and the 73,000 families, children and seniors the organization feeds each week. There are currently 440,000 San Diegans who are impacted by hunger and one in four of the people serviced by FASD are children.

To participate, companies can register online and will soon receive a “Food Fight Handbook” that includes instructions, tips and tools for the competition. Each company will also be able to customize their own virtual food drive web page and invite their competitors to participate. For more information, please visit www.feedingamericasd.org.

LET THE FOOD FIGHT BEGIN!

A Note From Executive Director, Jennifer Gilmore - The Year in Review

2011-08-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

Since Feeding America San Diego's first food delivery in 2007, we've grown from humble beginnings to distributing millions of pounds of food each year. This year alone, we expect to distribute 18 million pounds of food to the local community, which is no small feat!

None of this could have been possible without the hard work of our partner agencies, volunteers, donors and supporters who stand by us in the fight to alleviate hunger. And of course, our amazing board members and staff who keep our operations running and stay focused on the goals ahead.

As we look forward to the next year, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the amazing work completed by our organization this year.

Here are a few highlights:

Our distribution and inventory control teams moved our entire distribution center in one weekend. Our new 44,000 square foot distribution center will help us reach our goal of moving 18 million pounds of food out into the community.
We've implemented the Mobile Pantry Program, which delivers food to rural areas of San Diego County. The program helps deliver 20-30 pounds of fresh food and staple items to families that otherwise wouldn't have access to food.
We kicked off a new pilot program targeting seniors experiencing hunger in the City Heights area. Each month, high school volunteers help to provide 20-30 seniors at their living facility with fresh fruits and vegetables and staple food items.
In less than a year, our agency relations team has grown our SNAP (Cal Fresh) outreach program to achieve amazing results. With San Diego's CalFresh participation the lowest in the country, FASD implemented a plan to increase the number of eligible families applying for and receiving assistance.
Did you now that we rely on 8,000 volunteers annually to complete the work of 10 full-time employees? Members of our development team helped to fully engage the volunteer program and achieved record numbers with individual giving.
Our food procurement team brought in a tremendous amount of food and built strong relationships that will help feed the local community for years to come.
We continue to collaborate with dedicated partners like the San Diego Unified School District and the American Red Cross to leverage even more resources for the community. We thank all of our partners for their support.

Again, a big THANK YOU to everyone who has been instrumental in supporting our growth over the past year. We look forward to many more successful years of 'filling the gap' to make sure no local child, family or senior goes unfed. To meet our future goals, here's a sneak peek at some bit initiatives for 2011-2012:

We're on track to break records of food distribution with an estimated 18 million pounds of food this year!
Our second Mobile Pantry has arrived! Thanks to a generous donation from Kraft, we'll now be able to service more families in rural areas of San Diego.
Our brand-new cold storage unit is almost finished and will allow us to distribute an additional three million pounds of fresh fruits, veggies, eggs, milk and meats each year.

Stay tuned for more exciting news and for more information or to learn how you can give back, please visit www.feedingamericasd.org.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Gilmore

Executive Director of Feeding America San Diego

Dole 'Pop-Up' Fruit Stand Visits San Diego - Check-In and Donate to FASD

2011-08-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

Dole has teamed up with Feeding America this summer to help provide healthy snacks – 250,000 fruit bowls to be exact - to people in need. Dole’s traveling fruit stand has been making its way across the county handing out samples of the healthy fruit bowls and giving back to local food banks – and Feeding America San Diego is next on the list!

San Diego is the last and final stop of the Dole cross-country road trip and volunteers will be handing out samples of the new fruit bowls this Friday and Saturday. Dole will donate one fruit bowl to Feeding America San Diego for every person that visits the fruit stand in person or ‘checks-in’ to the fruit stand at Dole’s Facebook page tab: ‘Dole Fruit Bowls Road Trip for Feeding America.’

Here’s how you can help:

Dole’s traveling fruit stand will be downtown at the First & J Street parking lot (401 first avenue) on Friday, August 5 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at Belmont Park (3146 Mission Blvd) on Saturday, August 6 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dole will be handing out samples of the new fruit bowls to each person that visits the fruit stand at both locations.

Do your part this Friday or Saturday: either stop by the fruit stand or check-in to support Dole and Feeding America San Diego! For those twitter fans, keep an eye out for our tweets at #DoleFeedingSD.

Thank you Dole!

Attention Volunteers: Enter for a chance to win two all-access passes to meet and greet with Maroon 5 this Friday, July 22!

2011-07-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Feeding America San Diego relies on the support of 8,000 volunteers every year? In fact, last year our dedicated volunteers gave more than 22,000 hours of service!

To thank our generous volunteers, we’d like to treat one special volunteer or group volunteer leader to next week’s Maroon 5 concert at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre. The best part? The lucky winner and a guest will receive all-access passes that include a special meet and greet with the band!

Volunteers can enter to win or nominate their favorite group volunteer leader by leaving a note in the comment section below:

· Have you volunteered at Feeding America San Diego? Nominate yourself by leaving a brief description (100 words or less) about your favorite memory or volunteer experience.

· Do you want to give back to a special leader who made your volunteer experience unforgettable? Nominate your favorite group volunteer leader by leaving a brief description (100 words or less) in the comment section about why this leader should win. Please also contact them directly to ensure their availability for the concert.

Additional Rules: Please leave your name and email address with your entry. The comment section will be open until Tuesday, July 19 at 6:00 pm. Only one entry allowed per person. The winner will be chosen by FASD staff and announced Wednesday, July 20 at 10:00 am. The winner must pick up the tickets from Feeding America San Diego.

A big thank you to Feeding America, Maroon 5 and Snapple for their participation!

Intern Chronicles: Students Advocate for SNAP

2011-07-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

Did you know that San Diego’s participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is one of the lowest in the country? To help improve awareness and participate in the program, Feeding America San Diego is spearheading the first SNAP outreach program of its kind to help train partner agencies and advocate directly for clients.

New in 2011, FASD recruited a team of five students from San Diego State University to help with our ongoing SNAP outreach efforts. The students have been working hard out in the community and are producing tangible results—with their help 64 SNAP applications were submitted in one month alone!

Below are a few snippets of what our student advocates have learned. We plan to incorporate their feedback and lessons learned into making our program more effective.

“My job as an intern was to conduct first-hand research in rural communities about the difficulties of applying for SNAP benefits. I learned that there are several barriers unique to San Diego that make applying for the SNAP program difficult for people of low-income or low-literacy rates to obtain proper benefits. For example, the average person may visit a Family Resource Center multiple times just to apply for the SNAP program.

Luckily, Feeding America San Diego provides direct services in which pre-qualified applicants can submit their SNAP applications through FASD. Residents in rural areas appreciate this service and find it very helpful.”

“I had the opportunity to attend a local health fair to assist with pre-screenings for the SNAP application process. Many people were very interested in what FASD does. I was happy to inform them about the SNAP Outreach program. Everyone I talked to seemed very pleased by the work FASD is doing. Hearing responses like those helped to keep me motivated in my work and reaffirmed my belief that the small actions we take can have a positive impact on people’s lives.”

“I worked with a partner agency in North County that was very communicative with community members about SNAP benefits. As a result, people were very open to learning about the SNAP program and learning if they qualify for the benefits.”

For more information on our SNAP outreach program, please visit FeedingAmericaSD.org.

*Please note all names have been withheld to protect privacy.

A Letter of Thanks

2011-07-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Below is a letter written by a resident in East County who receives SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits and food from our Mobile Pantry. Feeding America San Diego’s SNAP Outreach Coordinator, Jenny Seneor, has visited the East county rural community regularly to assist with the SNAP application process. The resident, who chose to remain anonymous, sent us this letter in thanks to FASD’s and Jenny’s efforts.

For more information on direct client services for the SNAP program or our Mobile Pantry program, please visit www.feedingamericasd.org.

To Whom It May Concern,

I live in a low-income community about 30 minutes east of El Cajon. When Feeding America San Diego began to support us by bringing food in the Mobile Pantry, they also brought with them Jenny Seneor. Jenny has been a godsend for us by helping our community with the Food Stamp Program and other services. Both Feeding America San Diego and Jenny have helped us tremendously since we have difficulties getting anyone to come up into the mountains to help us with food deliveries.

Until Jenny came up here with Feeding America San Diego, we had to travel 30 miles to the closest Social Services office for food stamps, etc. Unfortunately, there are many people who live here (myself included) who do not have their own transportation, are housebound, or do not have the extra money to pay for gas or to pay someone else to drive them down to El Cajon.

Jenny has gone the extra mile to help people in our community get food stamps who otherwise would not have them and she has found ways to increase their benefits. It means very much to the people that they have someone they can depend on when they have problems with their food stamps and/or other services.

It usually takes two trips to El Cajon and all-day or longer for a person to get their food stamp requests processed. Jenny has been more than instrumental in helping us process the paperwork. This help has relieved stress on our budgets.

The Mountain Communities are unique in that there are few stores and gas stations up here and they are very expensive. Those that do not have transportation have to take buses to the stores. The buses do not operate every day and only make one trip per day. We have many people who live up here that are disabled and do not even know what services are available to them.

Jenny has helped me gather the information needed to apply and receive assistance that I wouldn't have known about. I appreciate her time and patience in handling the issues that have come up. Without Jenny's help I would not have been able to apply for food stamps. She has a wonderful personality and works well with people. She makes those that need help feel special and as a result they are not embarrassed to ask for help. She is a warm, friendly and special person.

Feeding America San Diego is a godsend to the Mountain Communities. Families and individuals have to travel 30 miles (one way) to the closest markets with reasonable prices to purchase necessary food. When one adds the cost of gas to the price of food, families often exhaust their money for basic food items.

It is not always possible for people on a limited income to go down the mountain to purchase the food we need. We have to purchase it from the high-priced small markets in the immediate area. Feeding America San Diego brings basic food to us and helps us stretch our budget a lot further. There are some people who live up here that do not have enough money to buy any food after basic living expenses have been paid. The food that is brought by Feeding America San Diego is all they have to eat.

For example, in the winter I use more propane to keep my home warm. Since I am on a limited income, there isn't much extra money every month to purchase the fuel that I need to keep me warm. I have to make a choice-either buy propane to keep warm or buy food.

Jenny is special to us and goes the extra mile to help people in need if she can help them. We are very lucky in the East County Mountain Communities to have Feeding America San Diego and Jenny Seneor coming out to help us.

Cold Storage: It's Getting Cold In Here!

2011-07-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Our brand-new 56,376 cubic foot cold storage unit is almost finished! The walls are up, the electricity has been turned on, and as soon as the unit cools to the just the right temperature, we’ll be able to safely store fresh food.

Did you know that the cold storage unit will help us distribute more than three million pounds of perishable food each year? This is especially important during the summer months when school is out of session and more kids are experiencing hunger. Once the unit is up and running, we’ll be able to distribute fresh fruits and veggies, meats, eggs and milk year round!

Speaking of food…summer is stone fruit season! We have tons of fresh fruits and vegetables just waiting to be stored in the cooler before we distribute to local families. Can you imagine the healthy and nutritious meals families can make together with fresh nectarines, oranges and more?

FASD Chief Operations Officer Tim Ney said, “The new cold storage unit will allow Feeding America San Diego to distribute approximately three million more pounds of nutritious food to the community at a time when they need it the most.”

Here’s a sneak peek at the final stages of prepping the cold storage unit:

This is the exterior of the unit. It is 18 feet tall and will allow for THREE tiers of food to be stacked inside.

This is the freezer unit. Imagine all the frozen meats and treats we can store in here!

These lifts are similar to the ones that will reach the pallets stacked up high. We built the unit to incorporate shelving to store even more food.

Check out these doors! They were specially made so that forklifts can efficiently move food from the trucks to the cold storage.

We’ll be hosting a special event in late July to show off the finished product. Stay tuned for more details on our blog and Facebook page.

School's out, but Hunger Doesn't Take a Summer Vacation

2011-06-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know that one in four children in San Diego currently lack access to nutritious meals? Our goal at Feeding America San Diego (FASD) is to make sure that local kids have access to healthy food year-round, especially during the summer months when school is out of session.

With more than 240,000 local school children relying on Free and Reduced Price Meal program during the school year, summer can be time of grumbling tummies when breakfast and lunch are not always available. That is why our team at FASD is dedicated to working with the San Diego Unified School District and other local partners to ensure that no child goes hungry.

We have a series of initiatives in our Feeding Kids programs. These programs stand by premise that ‘the opposite of hungry isn't full, it’s healthy,’ and that it is critical to teach parents and kids the importance of eating healthy foods.

For example, research has shown that children who lack access to nutritional food during key periods of growth may experience reduced physical and mental development. That is why our programs are created to raise awareness among families about the role that fresh fruits and vegetables can play in a healthy, active lifestyle.

During the summer months, our staff and volunteers distribute nutritious food to local families through the San Diego Unified School Districts' Summer BBQ series, large-scale community distributions and the Mobile Pantry. These programs not only provide the much-needed food a child needs, but also increases the amount of fruits and vegetables they receive and introduces them to new foods, like spaghetti squash, bok choy and favorites like watermelon and peaches.

Our goal is simple. Provide the food a child needs, educate them and their parents on the importance of eating healthy, and make it fun!

To learn more about our Feeding Kids programs or to volunteer, please visit us at www.feedingamericasd.org.

Feeding America San Diego Responds to House Budget Vote, Cuts to Funding for Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs

2011-06-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the FY 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, which if enacted, will cut funding for several federal nutrition assistance programs that directly benefit hunger relief organizations and families in San Diego. Jennifer Gilmore, executive director of Feeding America San Diego, released the following statement today condemning the bill’s passage:

“As an organization that strives to fight hunger every day in San Diego, we are deeply disappointed by the House passage of the FY 2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill. These federal programs are the backbone of our food safety net and provide critical resources to San Diego’s most vulnerable citizens, including low-income mothers, seniors and children. At a time when the demand for food is at an all-time high, these budget cuts will place a huge burden on the San Diego charities, nonprofit agencies and soup kitchens that are struggling to keep food on the tables of local families.”

Hospitality for Hunger: Buy Your Tickets Today!

2011-06-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

We’re always inspired when the local community comes together to support our programs at Feeding America San Diego. We were particularly honored when Hospitality for Hunger, an alliance of local hospitality leaders who are dedicated to fighting hunger among San Diego’s youth, approached us about how we could work together this summer.

Summer is a particularly high-need time for us since kids are out of school and don’t always have access to nutritious meals. To help raise awareness and funding for this cause, Hospitality for Hunger is bringing together local chefs, industry members and the public for a series of charity events on Sunday, June 12 at Mosaic Wine Bar in North Park.

Hospitality for Hunger’s first annual BBQ and Canned Food/Donation Drive will be held from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature food samples from local chefs Amy DiBase, chef consultant, Anthony Sinsay of Harney Sushi and Olivier Bioteau of Farm House Café and beverage samples from Karl Strauss and Summerland Winery. The BBQ will feature live music by Gonzo and children’s arts and crafts. Guests are encouraged to give back by decorating bags for FASD’s Backpack program or learning about the Mobile Pantry program. In lieu of an entrance fee, Hospitality for Hunger asks all guests to donate canned food or non-perishable items at the event.

Hospitality for Hunger will host a special Industry Celebration and Fundraiser from 6 p.m. to midnight. Chefs DiBase and Sinsay will be on hand to offer tapas and guests can enjoy a selection of local microbrews and wine, live music and a silent auction. Admission to the event is $20 per person and includes food and one drink ticket.

To buy your tickets, please visit this site.

The best part is that all proceeds from Sunday’s events will directly benefit our Feeding Kids programs, which are dedicated to distributing healthy and nutritious food items to kids year-round.

For more information about Hospitality for Hunger, please visit www.hospitalityforhunger.org.

And the 2011 Pound For Pound Champions are...

2011-06-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

Drum roll please….

Team Awesome Starbucks! As a five-person team, Team Awesome Starbucks lost 54 pounds, or 4.7% body weight, over the past four months. Way to go, Team Awesome!

“Being part of the Pound for Pound challenge was so rewarding for Team Awesome Sbux. We are part of a company who wants to give back as often as possible and what better way to do it,” said Team Awesome Sbux. “We have volunteered with Feeding America San Diego on other occasions and when we saw this particular opportunity we jumped at it. Being able to give back to our local food bank and know that are efforts directly impact our local families feels amazing. These last few months have not only been so much fun with weigh-ins and challenges but also gave us a unique way to team build while pledging over 600 pounds. We can't wait to do this again next year and look forward to breaking our current record!”

A huge shout out to the rest of the participants who did a fantastic job during the challenge:

Second Place: Team Mental Health Systems – lost 35 pounds, or 3.7% body weight

Third Place: Team TERI – lost 35 pounds, or 3.6% body weight

Fourth Place: Team Pure energy – lost 31 pounds, or 3.4% body weight

Fifth Place: Team PETCO – lost 8 pounds, or 1% body weight

Each team is a winner in our eyes, because most importantly the five teams also secured enough online support to pledge 8,447 pounds of food. In total, the San Diego community came together to pledge more than 32,000 pounds of food that will directly benefit the hungry kids and families Feeding America San Diego serves through our 180+ partner agencies.

Thanks to everyone who made a pledge as part of the Pound For Pound Challenge. This year’s challenge may be over, but we look forward to raising the bar for the 2012 challenge. If you didn’t get a chance to pledge your support and would like to make a donation to help fight hunger, please visit our website.

Check out the pictures from the last PFP Challenge:

Hunger Action Day 2011 is a Huge Success!

2011-06-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

On May 17, 2011 a group of 22 volunteers and Feeding America San Diego (FASD) staff made history by being the first group of San Diego activists to take a bus to Sacramento for Hunger Action Day.

When FASD announced that it would be leading a group to Sacramento for Hunger Action Day, we could not believe the overwhelming response from volunteers and community activists who were ready to go and take part in this empowering event.

Hunger Action Day is a unique event that gives activists, advocates, volunteers, food bank supporters and others concerned about the 3.1 million Californians experiencing hunger the opportunity to voice their concerns. In fact, our volunteers and staff were able help advocate for anti-hunger legislation directly with California legislators throughout the day.

As we took on the nine and a half hour journey to Sacramento, our volunteers shared stories from the field, discussed ideas on hunger issues and Feeding America San Diego staff led a workshop on bills that we would advocate for, such as AB6, AB69, AB 808, AB 828, AB 839 and SB 43.

The energy and passion from our volunteers was contagious as many of them participated in their first rally or prepared for their first legislative visit. Feeding America Staff and volunteers met with a diverse group of legislators that included Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher (R-75), Assemblyman Brian Jones (R-77), Assemblyman Ben Hueso (D-79), Senator Christine Kehoe (D-39) and Senator Joel Anderson (D-36).

Our First Hunger Action Day was a huge success for FASD! This success could not have been made possible if it were not for the volunteers who took time out of their daily lives to attend Hunger Action Day, who endured over 1,000 miles on the road, and who braved the cold and rain to march through the streets of Sacramento and the halls of our capitol to give a voice to the thousands who face hunger everyday right here in San Diego.

- Roberto Alcantar, FASD SNAP Advocate

Five Teams Go 'Pound For Pound' at Final Challenge and Weigh-in

2011-05-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

Our five spotlight teams have been working hard for the past three months to shed weight and get healthy. We’ve been following their weight-loss journey, and now the time has come for the final Pound for Pound fitness challenge and weigh-in. At today’s event, the team with the highest percent weight loss will take home the PFP Challenge crown.

Tell us, which of our five spotlight teams do you think will be crowned today’s winner?

PETCO Dog Pound

Team PETCO created their team to support PETCO’s vision of “Healthier Pets. Happier People. Better World.” The team goals are to get healthy and maintain wellness while giving back to the community. Fun fact: between the five PETCO team members are owners of three dogs, two cats, two fish and one parrot.

Mental Health Systems, Inc.

Team Mental Health Systems, Inc., which is committed to the well being of employees and their families, has over 50 team members! In fact, Team Mental Health Systems, Inc. has enjoyed their Pound For Pound experience so much that they plan to participate in multiple walks throughout California. They also hope to motivate and encourage people to live a healthy life style.

TERI

Team TERI consists of employees and clients who have autism and other developmental disabilities. Team TERI joined the Pound For Pound Challenge as part of the “We Give Back” campaign that shines a different light on the special needs population and showcases their passion for volunteerism and helping others.

Pure Energy

Team Pure Energy is composed of five friends who have been inspired to lose weight and stay healthy. One of the team members recently lost over 100 pounds and created team Pure Energy to inspire others who have struggled with weight issues. Fun fact: All team members were born and raised in small town Ramona in North San Diego.

Team Awesome Sbux

Team Awesome Sbux decided to create a team to help inspire healthy choices in living while giving back to the community. Starbucks is always out in local community helping others, but the team wanted to find a great way to see direct results from their contributions. Team Awesome Sbux hopes their involvement in the Pound For Pound Challenge will lead to more projects, like a free youth fitness day or other events about giving back to San Diego.

And don’t forget…there is still time to pledge weight loss to help raise funds to fight hunger in San Diego County! Even if you plan to continue your weight-loss goals after the Pound For Pound Challenge ends on May 31, you can still help raise money just by pledging to lose weight. Visit www.pfpchallenge.com and make your pledge today! Be sure to enter zip code 92121 to ensure the funds donated by the PFP Challenge organization go straight to Feeding America San Diego.

San Diego Stamps Out Hunger: The Final Count is in!

2011-05-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Feeding America San Diego participated in the Stamp Out Hunger food drive - the nation’s largest single-day food collection and we’ve got great news! San Diego residents helped shatter the record for the total pounds of food collected from our nine partner post offices in ONE day with a whopping 91,262 pounds of food donated. This represents a 25 percent increase over last year’s results, and most of all, will provide 73,000 meals to those who need it most.

Whether you left a bag of food for your mail carrier, stopped by Chillers Showroom in Pacific Beach or visited a local post office last Saturday to help sort incoming donations, we appreciate your help! Without the support of the San Diego community, along with dedicated volunteers and donors, none of this would be possible.

Finally, we’d like to thank the San Diego letter carriers from our nine partner post offices that so generously donated their time to pick up food along their postal routes and unload the mail trucks back at the post offices. We are lucky to be part of this annual event that gets better every year!

If you weren’t able to donate food last weekend and would like to donate, feel free to drop by our distribution center. We accept non-perishable donations year-round or check out our volunteer opportunities at www.feedingamericasd.org.

Target's Day of Service

2011-05-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

We just participated in the 2011 Target Day of Service and couldn’t be more excited about working with so many generous volunteers on a single day! In fact, more than 200 Target employees came out on Friday, May 13 to support our Feeding Kids programs like the Backpack program and the Farm2Kids program.

A big thank you to the Target volunteers who helped distribute fresh produce to nearly 500 students at Lexington Elementary School in El Cajon. Our Backpack program is a huge help for local children and families who rely on our support to receive fresh fruits and veggies over the weekend and during school holidays.

We appreciate the Target volunteers who helped pack of boxes of food for more than 100 families at Bayside Community Center and also participated in mural painting.

FASD also hosted volunteers on-site at our distribution center. It was a fun day of sorting and repacking food for our Farm2Kids Program, which helps deliver fresh produce directly to various schools throughout San Diego County for after school distributions.

Thank you for the support Target!

Feeding America Responds to the Alabama Tornado Disaster

2011-05-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

Our partners at Feeding America recently visited the devastated areas in Alabama after the tornado outbreak in late April. They saw firsthand the devastation and met with food banks in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Huntsville to better understand what challenges they are facing and what still needs to be done.

Here are some pictures of FA’s trip to Alabama:

Here’s what Bill Thomas, Feeding America Chief Operations and Membership Officer, had to say about his experience:

“The power of collaboration in the communities we’ve visited and the relationships our food banks have with donors, volunteers and those they serve make their resources extend as far as possible every day, and this remains true in time of their disaster response…We know it will take this team effort to help Alabama communities return to some sense of normalcy and a new norm. This will be a long, arduous recovery process.”

The Feeding America network and donors have responded by committing 2.9 million pounds of food, water and grocery items to help food banks in the region meet the needs following these disasters. The support has been tremendous, but there’s still an ongoing need for food and funds.

Feeding America San Diego’s Disaster Preparedness

Here at Feeding America San Diego, we are trained and ready to assist the San Diego community when a disaster occurs. In fact, FASD delivered its first distribution during the 2007 San Diego wildfires that displaced hundreds of thousands of individuals. Within the very first week of the fire, FASD secured and delivered 27 truckloads of emergency supplies (food, water and other grocery-related items) totaling over 515,000 pounds of product to benefit the evacuees, firefighters and volunteers.

Our new distribution center was selected and built to accommodate the community by distributing food and water safely and efficiently when a disaster occurs. Feeding America San Diego also has working relationships with the local and national American Red Cross, the City of San Diego and other disaster preparedness response organizations throughout the county.

We also rely on our Mobile Pantry to get food resources to families in rural areas on a weekly basis. The Mobile Pantry can also be used to distribute food to disaster areas. We will be even more prepared when our second mobile pantry arrives this summer, thanks to a generous grant from Kraft foods.

If you would like to donate to help victims of the Alabama tornado disaster, please visit the American Red Cross website. To support local disaster preparedness any time of year, visit Feeding America San Diego’s website.

Chillers Showroom Helps to Stamp Out Hunger

2011-05-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

Feeding America San Diego (FASD) and Chillers Showroom are gearing up for the Stamp Out Hunger food drive this Saturday, May 14. The nation’s largest single-day food drive will raise tens of thousands of pounds of food to fight hunger here in San Diego. San Diego residents are asked to donate non-perishable food in sturdy bags to be picked up by letter carriers and distributed to food banks such as FASD.

San Diegans looking to give back can also stop by Chillers Showroom in Pacific Beach on Saturday, March 14 to drop off non-perishable food donations and/or shop! Chillers Showroom has generously offered to donate 15 percent of all sales that day to support local hunger relief and will have light snacks and beverages on-site.

“Chillers Showroom is excited to partner with Feeding America to Stamp Out Hunger," said Chillers Showroom Owner Eric Blumenthal. " We hope, through our participation along with the San Diego community, we will make an impact on San Diegans facing hunger.”

If you can’t make it on Saturday, Chillers Showroom will be collecting food donations today through May 14. Chillers Showroom is located at 4667 Cass Street in Pacific Beach. The store is open 10 am-7 pm Tuesday-Thursday and 10 am-6 pm on Saturday.

A big thanks to Chillers Showroom for their donations and support!

Our Feeding Seniors Pilot Program

2011-05-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Feeding America San Diego’s Pilot Senior Program is off to a great start! In collaboration with two senior/disabled housing complexes in the high-need City Heights area, FASD has distributed almost 1,500 pounds of staple items, produce and bread to low-income San Diegans.

The volunteer component to the program is what makes it so special. FASD is excited to have the help of Hoover High School students from the Rady FACES program, a job training program that places students in health and helping profession internships. Most of these students began with an interest in health professions, but chose to broaden their horizons by trying their hand at non-profit work. Through the course of their month-long internship, FASD student volunteers learn about hunger in San Diego, how food banks work and potential career opportunities to help those in need. They also get the chance to explore nutritional needs for older adults by selecting what food FASD will send for distribution at the Senior Program.

Finally, the students get to run their very own food distribution, which is by far their favorite part. It is fun to watch the students and seniors interact and bond throughout the day! One senior resident in particular always makes sure to say a big thank you to the kids, telling them what a difference it makes to have the extra food each month. At the end of each distribution, the students always tell me how fun it was to give out the food, and some even ask how they can continue to volunteer with FASD! I’m excited that I get to be a part of the experience both with the seniors and the students. Plus, who knows…I may convert a few students into future food bank employees by the time their internships are over!

Marisa works in the Programs Department at Feeding America San Diego. She has helped oversee the development and implementation of FASD’s Feeding Seniors program.

Shed Pounds to Help Secure Unclaimed Hunger Relief Funds!

2011-04-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Looking to get fit and healthy for the summer season while giving back to a good cause? There’s still time to participate in the 2011 Pound for Pound Challenge. Since February, Feeding America San Diego has been encouraging local teams to lose weight, stay healthy and secure donations to help fight hunger in San Diego.

For every pound pledged online, the Pound For Pound Challenge will donate 11 cents to Feeding America – enough to secure one pound of groceries for Feeding America San Diego. And for every pound pledged locally, we’re proud to announce that all funding and donations will stay right here to fight hunger locally.

Right now there is $700,000 unclaimed funding that is up for grabs in the Pound For Pound Challenge. That funding would allow Feeding America San Diego to access 7 million pounds of food for our programs and partner agencies! Best of all, it is free to pledge pounds (or to keep a healthy weight), and it takes just two minutes to register.

To help fight hunger locally by pledging to lose weight with the Pound For Pound Challenge, please visit ww.pfpchallenge.com and click on “PLEDGE NOW.” Be sure to enter the zip code 92121 to ensure the funds from your pledge go straight to Feeding America San Diego. Supporters can make a single pledge, or can sign up with a team.

Pledges must be entered by May 31. Our goal is to pledge an additional 5,000 pounds this year. Do you think we can do it? Make your pledge now!

SDG&E Stuffed Animal Donation Brings Smiles to Kids in Time for Easter

2011-04-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

For the past four years Feeding America San Diego (FASD) has received a generous donation of stuffed bunnies from San Diego Gas and Electric as part of their annual employee bunny drive. Each year it is a joy to see the excitement on the children’s faces and this year was no exception. Last week the San Diego Unified School District sponsored the Spring Fun Café event at Cherokee Point Elementary where 200 children received stuffed ducks, lambs and bunnies just in time for the Easter holiday!

From donations to volunteerism, local corporations like SDG&E are a huge asset to the work we do. Over the years FASD has received everything from boxes to assist with our distribution efforts from Cox Communications to children’s books to distribute to our BackPack Program students from First Book. For many families struggling to put food on the table, little extras like books and bunnies for Easter are not something they are able to afford. It is a rewarding to be able to go that next step and provide those meaningful items to families in need.

Corporations interested in getting involved with FASD can contact our Development Team to get started. Whether it’s volunteering at our distribution center packing bags of fresh produce for our Farm2Kids Program or donating some fun and much-needed nonfood items we can use the help! Many thanks to all of our corporate sponsors! We truly couldn’t do it without you.

Casey Field is the programs manager at Feeding America San Diego. If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved with FASD, please contact Casey at cfield@feedingamericasd.org.

Every day is Earth Day at Feeding America San Diego!

2011-04-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

At Feeding America San Diego, we’re not big on waste. In fact, we recently moved into a new 44,000-square-foot distribution center to ensure that we can efficiently move 16 million pounds of food out to the community this year to help feed hungry families.

Earth Day is a great time to reflect on the different ways we can all become more efficient and help protect the environment. One thing we’re very proud of is our aggressive recycling program: did you know that our distribution center has only ONE trash receptacle on-site? That’s right, we work with the city of San Diego and Waste Management, Inc. to recycle everything from cardboard and paper to plastic and food products.

Feeding America San Diego’s recycling program ensures that approximately five million pounds of perishable food that would normally expire and be thrown away is picked up prior to expiration, inspected for safety, and distributed to the community through the Fresh Rescue Program. Local grocery stores and retailers like Ralphs, Food4Less, Albertsons, Wal-Mart, Target, and Sam’s Club donate about 250,000 pounds of perishable food each month through this program. Produce, dairy, deli meat, eggs, juices, and even ready-to-eat items are set aside and picked up directly by our partner agencies.

In addition, any produce or food items not fit for consumption are placed in a food salvage bin and sent to the City of San Diego Greenery. At the Greenery, the food is made into compost and used to fertilize soil to grow crops right here in San Diego County.

We also partnered with Waste Management, Inc. last November to implement a comprehensive program to dramatically increase the amount of materials recycled in our distribution center to almost 70 percent. We’ve made great progress over the past year, but we’re still working with all of our partners and leadership team to increase our recycling efforts and become even more environmentally responsible.

Earth Day is a reminder to all of us to do what we can to give back. Tell us, what are you doing this Earth Day to “go green?”

The Intern Chronicles: Episode 1

2011-04-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

FASD is lucky to have the support of great staff, amazing volunteers, and now talented interns. We have recruited a team of five students from San Diego State to help us with our continuing SNAP Outreach efforts, and they have been working hard and producing tangible results--48 applications were submitted in March. In this month's guest post, intern Morgan Harrow discusses her first weeks at FASD as an intern and what she has learned from her experience so far.

I would like to start this blog entry out by saying interning at Feeding America San Diego has been one of the best experiences I’ve had in my college career. After hearing other students in my internship class talk about how their internships involve stuffing envelopes and writing letters, I realized that I am getting the best intern experience! At FASD, everyone is so friendly and so willing to help each other, making my experience incredibly enjoyable.

It has only been three months since I started my internship, and already I have learned so much. Before working here, I had no idea that so many people in San Diego were struggling to put food on their plates. It has been so rewarding to build relationships with these people. At my site in Escondido, I see a lot of the same people every week, and it is so wonderful to be there for them as they go through the rigorous process of applying for food stamp benefits. Being able to make a tremendous difference in someone’s life is one of the most gratifying feelings I have experienced.

Furthermore, attending the Grand Opening of FASD was equally amazing because I was able to witness just how many people there are across the state that are in the fight against hunger. From local food banks to Senators and Congressional representatives, people of all statuses and backgrounds are supporting FASD, and seeing them all in a giant warehouse together made me realize that there is huge potential to make hunger something of the past. This internship is quickly making me realize that every single person can make a tremendous difference to help those who are struggling. FASD is only a few years old and has already helped so many people, so I am so excited to be a part of a growing organization that will continue to help those in need.

Serving Up Hope: The Mobile Pantry

2011-02-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

In our new "Serving Up Hope" series, we will be featuring real life stories of the clients we reach with our various programs. In this installment, we share the story of a woman we met during a Mobile Pantry distribution in Boulevard on the outskirts of San Diego County in December 2010.

Kathryn in Boulevard is a senior citizen who stopped working for the courts years ago after a truck hit her. Due to inaccessibility of food and the high pricing, Kathryn struggles to survive on her SSI. The only sources of food Kathryn has is the commodities she receives once each month from the San Diego Food Bank and the visits from the FASD Mobile Pantry twice each month. This is the food she uses to cook and survive. That's why she is so thankful for the Mobile Pantry distribution in Boulevard. She has gotten involved helping organize the site and is now going to be trained in SNAP outreach in order to help her community. Kathryn has expressed that being able to be a part of the Mobile Pantry and FASD helps give her purpose, not just food. When Kathryn found out earlier this week that dry/canned milk would be on the mobile truck, she said that it would make an incredible difference in the lives of the people in that area who were planning for the holidays and the news made her day.

The Greater the Challenge, The Greater the Reward

2011-02-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

My name is Alicia Saake and I am the Administrative Assistant at Feeding America San Diego. I grew up in San Diego and have always loved swimming and running outside, and prior to working for FASD, I was a swim coach and instructor at the La Jolla YMCA. I get the chance to write for our blog today because the Pound for Pound challenge combines two things that are very important to me; living a healthy, active lifestyle, and relieving hunger in San Diego County.

In order to help others, it is important to make sure to also take care of yourself. The Pound for Pound Challenge is a great starting off point for both these important goals. For every pound of weight you pledge to lose online at www.pfpchallenge.com, General Mills and other corporate sponsors donate 11 cents to Feeding America San Diego, enough for us to purchase one pound of food to distribute to our neighbors facing hunger.

I have met people of all athletic abilities at the YMCA, and I know there are probably some of you who agree that losing weight while helping others in our community sounds like a great deal, but don’t think you can do it. So, in an effort to push those negative thoughts aside, I would like to share with you the five things I think we should all keep in mind while pledging and shedding pounds.

1. Set a reasonable goal for weight loss. Not everyone is on The Biggest Loser television show. If you plan on losing a lot of weight, please make sure to speak with a doctor first. Set a weight loss goal that makes sense for you and your body type. For most of us, our number will probably be a reflection of what we weighed before the winter months. Gained ten pounds of turkey weight? Now is as good a time as ever to shed it.

2. Set a goal that does not involve numbers. For me, numbers on a scale aren’t enough to keep me eating right and exercising. I need a goal that doesn’t involve numbers, but is something I have never done before. A few years ago, my goal was to do my first sprint triathlon. This year, my goal is to do my first Olympic distance triathlon. After I sign up for the race, there is no going back on my commitment. A fun 5K run in the summer is a great example of a numberless goal, and something all beginners can do if they start now.

3. Find a work out buddy. It’s easy to skip the gym on your way home from work. It’s a bit harder if you have a friend waiting there for you. Ideally, find someone who is at about the same level of fitness as you, with similar goals. My mom recently joined a group of women training to walk for the 3-day breast cancer walk. Group or partner activities like this are a great way to stay accountable, because you aren’t doing all the work yourself.

4. Think twice about nutrition. There is a reason your mother made you eat vegetables. Fad diets don’t sustain weight loss. Sensible eating does. Though I’m not a nutritionist, it makes sense that when trying to lose or sustain weight, we ought to eat more natural, real foods that our body is made to process and stay away from sweets and foods with words you can’t pronounce. Do your research to stay healthy according to your specific dietary needs and choices. One tip: make sure to keep a small, healthy snack with you for just after you work out, if you wait until you get home and have time to cook yourself something, you are likely to feel light-headed and overly hungry by the time you do eat.

5. Forgive yourself when you aren’t perfect. Some days, ice cream is just undeniable. Other days, there are just too many things to do in one day to make it to the gym. It is ok to slip up now and then, as long as one slip up doesn’t mean giving up on your goals. Say you plan to go to the gym Monday, Wednesday, Friday and you miss Wednesday because something comes up. Don’t just miss the day, make it up on Saturday.

You can do it! Helping others while helping yourself to a better, healthy lifestyle is within your reach. J Take each day one at a time and know that your efforts are worthwhile for your health and for the health of San Diegans facing hunger.

If you have any further questions or would like to be notified of our three weekly challenges, please feel free to email me at asaake@feedingamericasd.org. Good Luck!

Help A Family In Need this Holiday Season

2010-11-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

As we enter November, Feeding America begins its "Hunger Free Families" campaign aimed at raising hunger awareness throughout out country. Here in San Diego over 850,000 children, families, and seniors don't know where there next meal is coming from. Awareness is a vital tool in taking action against hunger and making an impact. National Office staff member Nola Akiwowo shares a little bit about the campaign in today's guest blog:

As we near the holidays, many of us are thinking about the turkeys, hams and pies that will adorn the tables at our often hectic yet mostly comforting holiday gatherings. Food and family will carry us from this point on until the new year begins. For nearly 17 million American families, the grand holiday dinner can seem like a mere dream. Those are the mothers and fathers that are struggling with what little they have to make ends meet for their children. We keep them in mind this year during the first annual Hunger-Free Families, a campaign of Feeding America. Entertainment Council married couple Curtis and Laila Ali Conway are joining the campaign and pledging to share the stories of huger with their families and friends this November and December.

We at Feeding America are asking you to simply tell ten of your friends about families affected by hunger in America. Over the course of the next two months, you can come back to the Feeding America blog or visit Hungerfreefamilies.org to learn about one of the families served by our local food banks.
Today, we share the story of Amy’s family with you:

Otis and Amy had believed that his master’s degree would guarantee a job in any sort of situation, but because California’s cuts to public school funding, the art teacher soon found that his occupation was dispensable. He has been out of work for nearly a year, searching relentlessly for something to help support his family.
In the meantime, Amy stays at home to raise their children, Lydia and Edmund, saving money in childcare expenses. After hearing about the services of Pasadena’s Foothill Unity Center on a local radio station, she decided it was time to turn to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank agency for some help.
The family knows they can rely on the center for food as Otis attempts to find a new job. They can head to the pantry once a month to receive the meats, fresh produce and grains they need to stay healthy during their hard times.
Amy, Otis, Lydia and Edmund are only one of the nearly 17 million families across the country in need of support this holiday season. Help them put food on their table by promising to TELL 10 of your friends about the many ways they can help Americans struggling with hunger.

http://www.hungerfreefamilies.org/

GUEST BLOG: Bob Scanlan and "Stuff the Truck"

2010-09-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

FASD welcomes our newest guest blogger, the San Diego Padres' own Bob Scanlan. Bob previews this weekend's "Stuff the Truck" event at Ralph's on 6670 Montezuma, where he will be broadcasting the World Baseball Network and giving away lots of great prizes. Be sure to visit Bob and help FASD kick-off our Mobile Pantry program this Saturday morning!

Have you ever had to decide whether to spend your last few dollars on food for your children, or to pay the utility bill to stay warm? Hopefully not, but every week thousands of families right here in San Diego do. The good news is there is someone there to help – Feeding America San Diego (FASD)…and you and me! Over 73,000 of our neighbors, family members, and co-workers receive emergency assistance from FASD each week. Nearly half of those recipients are children under the age of 18!

September is Hunger Action Month, and there is a way for you to make a difference that has never been easier, or more rewarding. John “The Coach” Kentera and I will be hosting Feeding America San Diego’s Stuff The Truck event during our World Baseball Network (WBN) broadcast on Saturday Sept. 25th. We will be broadcasting live from 9:00-11:00 am at the Ralphs supermarket at the intersection of Montezuma Rd. and El Cajon Blvd., near SDSU.

John and I will be shaking hands, while giving and raffling away…

WBN t-shirts & hats
Padres tickets
Tour of the CH4 Pregame & Postgame shows, and PETCO Press box
Autographed items signed by your favorite Padres players
3 Free Months of Cox Cable (courtesy Cox Communications)
$50 gift certificate to Bamboo Sushi
$50 gift card for Under Armour athletic apparel (courtesy GTS Athletic)

…and more! All you need to do is bring some non-perishable goods from your pantry, or pledge to give a few hours of your time to volunteer, and you’re in the drawings.
Please join us as we help Feeding America San Diego to provide meals to over 400,000 of our neighbors each year, and give your self a chance to win some fun prizes while making a difference.

Stuff The Truck
Feeding America San Diego
Saturday Sept. 25th
Ralphs Supermarket
6670 Montezuma Rd. (near SDSU)

WBN live broadcast from 9:00-11:00am,
Truck will be there from 8:00am–noon.
Giveaways & raffles during broadcast
(Must be present to enter drawings,
but no presence necessary to win)

John and I thank you for your support, and we look forward to meeting you!

Bob Scanlan

Bes sure to follow all of BobScanlan's Blogs on www.bobscanlan.com/blog