We’re feeding San Diego and together we’re Feeding America | Summer 2015 NewsFeed LOCAL LIBRARY CREATES COMMUNITY WITH FOOD by Madeleine Hennessy, Communications Coordinator Three years ago, Orquidia Contreras received a phone call asking her to host a Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) site at the Vista Library. “I thought there was no way I could do this,” admitted Orquidia. “I had never done it, didn’t know how to do it, and didn’t know of any other branches that did it within our system.” But the more research she did, the more enthusiastic and excited Orquidia became. She wanted everyone to know about this resource. “I talked about it nonstop to everybody that walked in.” A component of Feeding America San Diego’s ‘School’s Out Hunger’s Not’ campaign, the Summer Food Service Program is a federal program, run by the state and sponsored by various partners and agencies that provides food to children and families during the summer months when students lose access to free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch 2 From My Perspective: Erin Hogeboom, Programs Manager programs. Feeding America San Diego serves as a sponsor managing eight sites including Vista Library. Now in their third summer, Orquidia sees the program meeting a very tangible need in the community. If these are the kids who need food during the school year, what are they doing during the summer? Are they just not eating? “I think it’s incredibly valuable. If these are the kids who need food during the school year, what are they doing during the summer? Are they just not eating?” A mother of two, Orquidia recognizes the relief the program offers parents. “I think it touches a part of us that’s really human to be able to share food. Socially, I think it’s very easy to be here and that’s huge. There’s no sense of shame. CONT’D ON PAGE 7 4 School’s Out Hunger’s Not and Quotes from Kids 7 Wheelz and the NUcrew On the Go: Boys & Girls Club in Encanto BY THE NUMBERS WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Interns bring diverse skills and experience to their work at Feeding America San Diego. They leave with new knowledge as they continue building careers and fighting hunger in a variety of roles, and sometimes they stay to rise to new challenges in the fight against hunger right here at FASD. 20% Food insecurity in children under age 3 can change the infrastructure of the brain and central nervous system. of households in America with children are food insecure 92,000 Ana de Castro, who holds a master’s in nutrition sciences, served as a nutrition advocate intern, providing resources to the community and conducting interactive nutrition and cooking workshops to clients. During her time at FASD, she developed her teaching skills and passion for nutrition education, along with a sensitivity for understanding the people we serve in order to provide them with the best nutrition care. Today, Ana continues to pursue her career in the field of dietetics. children in San Diego who received free or reduced-price meals during the school year did not receive food during the summer 27% of households served by FASD report having to choose between food and education The human brain alone uses 25% of the energy that the human body requires to run each day. FROM MY PERSPECTIVE by Erin Hogeboom, Programs Manager Dear Friends, Greetings from the playground! As a programs manager at Feeding America San Diego, I’m the lucky team member who gets to work with our dedicated school and community partners, helping to serve more than 8,000 kids in need in San Diego County through our Feeding Kids initiative. From School Pantries, where parents fill their bags with produce like at a farmer’s market, to BackPack programs, where kids eagerly dive into their weekend wellness bags to discover what healthy goodies they’ve received, my days are filled with happy children and engaging parents. Recently, we began serving after school meals at the San Marcos Boys and Girls Club through the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program. I think the success of the program is summed up in one little girl’s proclamation, “I love these fruits and vegetables!” We are eager to bring this service to other locations in the county. I also have the pleasure of working with AmeriCorps volunteers to advise our dedicated team of interns, who are responsible for ongoing nutrition and CalFresh outreach provided to our partners. Their passion for service is contagious, and their innovative approach brings a fresh perspective to hunger-relief in San Diego. Erin Hogeboom Jennifer Konish received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology with a focus on cultural anthropology and global health. After a rewarding experience as a nutrition intern at FASD, she wanted to continue to work with the organization and is now an AmeriCorps VISTA serving as a CalFresh and nutrition capacity coordinator. Jennifer truly believes in FASD’s mission and vision and wants to help build a healthier San Diego through our Feeding Excellence initiative. Jennifer oversees the internship program and organizes interns going out in the field for distributions, community events and outreach workshops. Rich Valderrama joined FASD as an AmeriCorps VISTA summer associate in 2014 as a new San Diego resident. As an experienced mid-level manager with expertise in IT risk management, Rich believed this experience merged his professional expertise in compliance management, personal interest in food security and desire to become better acquainted with San Diego. In his time at FASD, Rich supported the School’s Out Hunger’s Not campaign, integrating two new Summer Food Service Program sites and conducting regular site visits to ensure food service quality was met at all six locations across San Diego County. Today, Rich works at LPL Financial continuing his career in IT risk management. Nicky Riordan received her master’s in 2014 in peace and justice studies. During her master’s program, she interned at FASD as a CalFresh outreach intern and became passionate about the intersection of hunger-relief and health, and how solving hunger-related malnutrition at home and abroad can foster conflict resolution on a larger scale. Nicky’s time at FASD caused her to reexamine her goal of having an impact overseas and decided to focus on poverty and hunger at home first. She is now a programs coordinator at FASD focusing on agency relations. THE PROBLEM 56% of children in San Diego who eat free or reduced price meals during the academic year did not receive meals over the summer** a family of 5 with 3 kids receiving breakfast and lunch at school would lose access to 30 meals a week or 390 meals from Jun-Aug $3.17 $1,236.30 OUR SOLUTION 8 FASD will sponsor eight Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sites across the county. SFSP is a federally funded program providing free lunches and snacks to children and teens facing hunger. cost of 390 meals for a family IT HELPS ME LEARN IN CLASS WHEN I EAT HEALTHY. MY FAVORITE IS THE APPLE, IT MAKES ME WANT TO BE A TEACHER! I EAT HEALTHY SO I DON’T GET DIABETES. $0.17 In partnership with San Diego Unified School District, FASD will provide healthy food, nutrition education and other resources to children and families at approximately 20 Summer Fun Café sites throughout the summer. HOW YOU CAN HELP Join us for a special Volunteer Open House on Saturday, June 20 from 9AM - 12 PM to help us prepare food for distribution. Your generous gifts provide critical support for special food distributions throughout the summer. Just $65 would provide 390 meals. Raise awareness of hunger in San Diego. Share your support on social media using #SchoolsOutHungersNot. Host a food drive to provide FASD with access to a broad range of nutritious foods that are difficult for us to access. *California Food Policy Advocates, 2014 School’s Out...Who Ate? **Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap 2015 average cost of a meal in San Diego** I LIKE THE APPLE BECAUSE IT HAS A LOT OF VITAMINS. THEY HELP YOU GROW & MAKE YOU STRONG. cost of a meal for FASD IT MAKES ME FEEL STRONG. EVERY DAY THAT WE GET IT, IT MAKES ME FEEL STRONG. I LOVE APPLES BECAUSE THEY HAVE SEEDS INSIDE THEM THAT YOU CAN USE TO GROW MORE APPLES. 20 WHEN YOU EAT HEALTHY, IT MAKES YOU NOT GET SICK & NOT LAZY. I EAT HEALTHY SO I DON’T GET SICK FROM BAD FOOD. I EAT HEALTHY BECAUSE IT MAKES YOU STRONGER, HEALTHIER & MORE ACROBATIC. – 2014 Summer Food Service Program & Summer Fun Café participants HELP FEED KIDS AND FAMILIES OVER SUMMER VACATION. GIVE ONLINE AT FEEDINGAMERICASD.ORG/SCHOOLSOUT. UPCOMING EVENTS For parents who do have issues providing food, it has to be really hard emotionally to get to the point where they admit they need help.” Now, not only does the library offer books and learning programs, it offers food and a sense of community for children and their families. “It serves as a place to come and hang out and talk to other families. It becomes a thing they do during the day; it becomes a communal experience,” said Orquidia. Along with the lunches provided on-site throughout the week, kids receive fresh bags of produce to take home once a week. She relayed their excitement, describing the scene when kids eagerly pick up their treat. “They love the bags full of wonderful looking vegetables and fruits.” Currently, Orquidia is working with Feeding America San Diego to plan this year’s Summer Food Service Program. “It is so much fun and it is so gratifying. I honestly feel like it’s an honor to do. These kids walk out happy and their tummies are full. That in itself is enough.” $50,000 GRANT FROM THE S. MARK TAPER FOUNDATION Feeding America San Diego is grateful to be the recipient of a $50,000 grant from the S. Mark Taper Foundation. The grant, which will fund general operations at FASD, will provide greater stability and efficiency, enabling us to bring about community change and continue to focus on the highest level of service for San Diegans facing hunger. Feeding America San Diego’s general operating budget provides funding to acquire food and distribute it with dignity to San Diego residents, including four key initiatives focused on feeding children, families and seniors with excellence. RECENT HUNGER RESEARCH Feeding America publishes a comprehensive Map the Meal Gap study every year, which estimates the rate of food insecurity. 2015 KEY DATA • 435,560 people, and 161,680 children, in San Diego County are food insecure. photo credit: Josh Bernard Feeding America San Diego is honored to be named a charity partner for Switchfoot’s 11th annual Bro-Am. SWITCHFOOT BRO-AM AUCTION NIGHT SOIREE WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015 PRIVATE OLIVENHAIN ESTATE Enjoy silent & live auctions, opportunity drawings, signature tastes from leading local restaurants, live performance by Switchfoot and more. 11TH ANNUAL SWITCHFOOT BRO-AM + ROB MACHADO BRO JUNIOR SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2015 MOONLIGHT BEACH IN ENCINITAS, CA Surf contest: 7AM-3:30PM Concert: 12PM-5PM (lineup TBA) A free event featuring a surf contest, concert, beach vendors and more! SWITCHFOOT.COM/BRO-AM September is Hunger Action Month, a time when Feeding America San Diego and the national network of more than 200 food banks unite to urge individuals to take action in their communities. As individuals, organizations and government, we all have a role to play in getting food to those in need. TAKE ACTION • G O ORANGE FOR HUNGER-RELIEF. Wear orange every Thursday throughout the month and go orange digitally on social media. • LIKE Feeding America San Diego on Facebook and FOLLOW Feeding America San Diego on Twitter @FeedingSanDiego. Tag FASD and use #HungerAction. •Attend a special VOLUNTEER OPEN HOUSE in September to tour our distribution center and try several of our regular volunteer projects. •Stay tuned for other ways to get involved and share your support of hunger-relief. FEEDINGAMERICASD.ORG/HAM • The annual meal gap in San Diego is more than 77 million meals. More at feedingamericasd.org/hunger-research. ON THE GO greetings from Wheelz and the NUcrew We can’t wait to tell you about our latest trip where we visited the Boys and Girls Club in Encanto. It was a bright day, full of sunshine. Families and children came together at this community gathering spot to receive food, which they will take home and turn into delicious meals to share. We were able to distribute coconut water, canned diced tomatoes, oatmeal and fresh produce including carrots, apples, oranges and sweet potatoes. So many nutritious items! We also had the opportunity to share about other community resources and help people find out if they are eligible to receive CalFresh. What a great day! We’re excited to visit again soon. Bye for now! HUNGER-RELIEF INITIATIVES FEEDING KIDS FEEDING FAMILIES FEEDING SENIORS FEEDING EXCELLENCE LEARN MORE AT FEEDINGAMERICASD.ORG/PROGRAMS Wheelz and the NUcrew NonProfit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 2686 San Diego, CA 9455 WAPLES ST, STE 135 SAN DIEGO CA 92121 TEL 858.452.3663 FAX 858.768.7438 FEEDINGAMERICASD.ORG ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Join Feeding America San Diego and the 10,000 individuals who dedicate their time to help feed more than 480,000 children, families and seniors every year. Feeding more than 59,000 children, families and seniors every week, FASD relies on the support of individuals, corporations and community groups. Through our highly organized distribution model, every $1 donated provides six meals. = 6 In order to achieve a hunger-free and healthy community, FASD advocates on behalf of the food insecure on a federal, state and local level. Lend your voice to the fight against hunger and show your support for hunger-relief efforts on social media. STAY CONNECTED FEEDINGAMERICASD.ORG
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