Hungry Minds Feeding San Diego helps power a state mandate that students always have access to nutritious food
BY JENNIFER MCENTEE
Feeding San Diego programs Since 2007, Feeding San Diego has worked with 370 local charities, schools, faith groups, meal sites and food pantries to distribute meals to those in need, from students and veterans to people facing homelessness. Feeding San Diego provides more than 35 million meals each year. Its efforts on San Diego campuses span 14 school districts, including K-12 sites, community colleges and universities. A School Pantry Program brings fresh produce and pantry staples like beans, oats, grains and peanut butter to 40 schools countywide twice a month. Casares says they focus on "hunger hotspots," ZIP Codes where the need is greatest, spanning from Chula Vista to Escondido. Feeding San Diego provides the food, while the school staff and parent volunteers distribute the boxes from a school's parking lot or auditorium. Another Feeding San Diego initiative is the Backpack Program, which sends school kids home for the weekend with easy-to-carry bags of healthy food. "We're looking for those kids who need support over the weekend," says Casares, explaining that teachers and school administrators help Feeding San Diego identify families who could benefit. "We do a lot of direct outreach in the community."
S tudents from food-insecure homes suffer more than just hunger pains. Research shows they're more likely to fall behind academically, have intellectual, emotional and physical development delays, and have difficulties with social and behavioral responses. "We know that kids can't learn if they're hungry," says Carissa Casares, senior communications manager for the nonprofit Feeding San Diego. "We have so much data on how hunger affects academics. It's a horrible cycle that starts early. Making sure our children have food should be a top priority for everyone." Feeding hungry school children is increasingly prioritized at the national and state level. President Joe Biden has said he intends to end hunger in America by 2030. Implementation of that goal includes measures that expand nutritional assistance programs. This 2022-2023 school year, California became the first state in the nation to enact a Universal Meals Program. As part of the statewide mandate, all K-12 public schools must provide a nutritious breakfast and lunch for every child every school day, regardless of family income. Based on student poverty figures from the California Department of Education, nearly 50 percent of all K-12
students in San Diego County have relied on free or reduced-price meals in recent years. Families struggling to afford essential nutrition have been further battered by inflation and the Covid-19 pandemic. Casares says state and national efforts to combat hunger are a step in the right direction. Feeding San Diego is among a cadre of local hunger-relief organizations working to fill needs not yet met by government agencies—such as food for students in the evenings and weekends, and even beyond K-12 with meals help on college campuses. "There's a hard reality of families who don't have food in the pantry or in the fridge," Casares says.
SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE CHARITABLE SD GIVING GUIDE 2023 80
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