We’re feeding San Diego and together we’re Feeding America | Summer 2015
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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.
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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