September is Hunger Action Month, serving as a timely reminder of the progress that’s been made to help individuals struggling with hunger here in San Diego. Last year, Feeding America San Diego served 18.5 million meals in the community. However, this work is not complete. The reality is that there are still many individuals and families in our community who struggle to put food on the table, making it almost impossible for them to realize financial stability. The first step towards alleviating hunger is to understand the seriousness of the issue – hunger affects people from all walks of life across the U.S. Many hard-working Americans who have experienced loss of income face a tough choice between providing food for their families and paying for their utilities. In fact, nationally, a shocking 1 in 7 Americans – more than 46 million people – rely on the Feeding America network of food banks to consistently put food on the table, a basic need that directly impacts our ability to be productive at work or at school. Families in San Diego are no exception. Stephanie and David, parents of three children, faced the loss of a job and struggled to make ends meet. David searched for work and Stephanie worked part-time at their children’s school, but the food from a Feeding America San Diego School Pantry got them through this difficult time. Thankfully, Stephanie was able to return to school and hopes to use her new degree to get the family back on its feet and to help others in the community who may need help. Stephanie and David are not alone. In fact, 5.7 million people in California face food insecurity with around 480,000 people visiting food banks in our community each year.
Without consistent access to nutrient-rich food, it’s impossible for individuals and families like these to thrive, which could be damaging to the community in the long run. Recognizing that food insecurity does not exist in isolation, hunger-relief organizations like Feeding America San Diego have led the charge in integrating education, advocacy and health education in their programming to help the people they serve access resources that enable them to meet vital needs. For example, Bank of America and Feeding America have teamed up to provide families facing hunger with access to the benefits and financial tools they need to begin building a financial safety net and, ultimately, a path to economic stability. Partnerships such as these have a collective impact, enabling food-insecure families to reach goals they once thought impossible, including saving for college, buying a house, and getting back on their feet financially. This Hunger Action Month, there are simple things we can do to support individuals who face hunger like Stephanie and David in the San Diego community. This includes volunteering at the FASD distribution center or raising awareness by participating in the September social media campaign. Many food banks rely on volunteers to help deliver on their mission to end hunger – and it’s a great opportunity for family and friends to rally around this cause.
If you can’t volunteer, one option is to donate to the Give A Meal program, a Feeding America program supported by Bank of America that extends the impact of individual donations. For every $1 donated, from September through the end of the year, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation will donate $2 to support Feeding America and its network of food banks.
To donate to Give A Meal, visit www.bankofamerica.com/give. Even if you can’t donate, posting the Give A Meal link via Twitter or Facebook helps raise awareness about the nearly 450,000 individuals struggling with hunger in our community. Let’s make sure that San Diego families don’t have to make painful choices between food and other basic necessities. Using all of our connections, we can fight hunger, help our friends and neighbors and build a stronger community. Karen Haren, interim executive director at Feeding America San Diego; Rick Bregman, San Diego market president at Bank of America