This Giving Tuesday, ABC 10News and Feeding San Diego are partnering to combat hunger across San Diego County through our Month of a Million Meals campaign, bringing hope and healthy food to thousands of people in need.
We've already raised enough money for nearly 3 million meals this year and are hoping to add thousands more on Giving Tuesday alone.
Nearly 400,000 people in San Diego County are dealing with food insecurity. To help tackle that issue, Feeding San Diego organizes food distribution events throughout the county. However, there's growing concern that more people will need this additional help in the coming months due to expected federal cuts.
At a recent mobile pantry event in San Marcos, crowds of people lined up for one of many pop-up food distribution events held throughout the year across the county. Each person comes with their own story.
"I'm a US veteran, Vietnam way in '69, US Navy," one participant said. "I just make ends meet by going to these food pantries."
These mobile pantries are designed to address food insecurity in specific areas, according to Carissa Casares, senior communications manager for Feeding San Diego.
"They're meant to address food insecurity in areas where they may be far from a grocery store, a food desert, where there's a high need," Casares said.
The distributions offer more than just meals — they provide healthy options including protein, beans, rice, vitamins and vegetables.
"If people aren't receiving nutritious food, if they are not getting those nutrients that they need, their health suffers," Casares said.
Feeding San Diego routinely partners with health centers like True Care, which provides outreach about medical care to the community regardless of income or insurance coverage.
Anthony White, vice president of government and community affairs for True Care, says they've recently noticed more people looking for food assistance.
"The need has increased, and I think the picture of who the person is that people might have in their head of who comes to a food distribution like this or a food pantry — it's really people from all walks of life," White said.
This comes as nonprofits like Feeding San Diego and organizations like True Care prepare for an expected influx of people who will need help as they navigate changes to requirements and guidelines for federally funded programs such as Medicaid and CalFresh.
The uncertainty leaves many like Dora Avilla nervous. She's retired and relies on distribution events to help make ends meet.
"Yes, they allow me to pay electricity or other bills because I don't have to buy vegetables," Avilla said.
While the impact of federal cuts remains unknown, Casares says Feeding San Diego will continue to help where it can, hoping the public will also step up to support its mission.
"Feeding San Diego, in particular, we are about 97% of our funding comes from individual private donations — only about 3% is coming from the government, so we're really standing on our own," Casares said.
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