This month, we partnered with San Diego's largest hunger-relief organization, Jacobs & Cushman San Diego/North County Food Bank, to create a positive and meaningful impact for the people and communities we serve. Aptly named "March Miracles," we are encouraging our employees, as well as the general public, to support their neighbors in need.
Fighting Food Insecurity through the Pandemic
For March Miracles, we are focusing on support for the San Diego Food Bank because this organization has an important role to play in our community as the largest hunger-relief organization in the county. Last year, the San Diego Food Bank distributed an estimated 28 million pounds of food and served an average of 350,000 people each month.
Poverty and hunger are challenges for far too many people in our region. Approximately 450,000 people – a startling one in five children – face daily food insecurity in our region, which means that these families have little to no food available at home and they worry about their next meal.
Additional Programs
In addition to being on the frontlines of hunger relief in our region, the San Diego Food Bank also offers a number of other programs to support active-duty military personnel, senior citizens, and families with young children.
- Diaper Bank Program: Diapers are expensive – a month’s supply for one child can cost between $70-80, and they cannot be purchased with CalFresh benefits or WIC. As a result, parents try to make do without diapers or by stretching their supply by leaving babies in dirty diapers longer or reusing diapers. Led by the San Diego Food Bank, the Diaper Bank Program helps by distributing emergency supplies of diapers, wipes, and auxiliary items for families with infants and toddlers who are facing financial hardship through 400 nonprofit partners and food distribution sites. The goal is to provide much-needed diapers to low-income parents who reside in San Diego County so they can remain employed, provide for their families, and lift themselves out of poverty.
- Military Initiative: The Food Bank supports 39,000 low-income veterans and active-duty military personnel and their dependents every month through food distributions at 19 nonprofit partners such as USO San Diego and Armed Services YMCA. This initiative ensures that the brave men and women who are serving our country are able to feed their families.
- Senior Food Program: The Senior Food Program is a federal program that provides monthly supplemental food packages to income-eligible senior citizens age 60 and over. The Food Bank administers the program and distributes USDA-provided food at 65 distribution sites every month in communities throughout San Diego County, serving more than 13,000 seniors. Each participant receives one 30-pound box of food every month that is filled with a variety of nutritious food items.
To learn more about the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego/North County Food Bank, please visit sandiegofoodbank.org.