Feeding San Diego Holiday Campaign

The Feeding San Diego (FSD) Holiday Campaign is underway to bring meals to the less fortunate. FSD asks the public to help in one of three ways:

• Make a monetary donation online at bit.ly/2gD74TI. FSD states that each dollar donated will provide four meals.
• Companies are encouraged to organize a food drive and ask employees to collect a variety of nutritional foods to donate to FSD. For more information call 858-452-3663 or visit bit.ly/2gtPQoF.
• FSD seeks volunteers during the holiday season. The organization relies on volunteers to sort products at its distribution center and help distribute the food to its distribution partners and clients.

Volunteers may participate in an open house celebration to experience the various tasks available at the distribution center. The open house will be held Dec. 3, 9–11 a.m. at 9455 Waples St., Suite 135.

Those attending are asked to bring healthy, nonperishable food donations, such as wheat pasta, beans, low sodium canned vegetables and fruit. Individuals or groups may sign up online at bit.ly/2fzpC7z.

FSD is a nonprofit hunger relief organization dedicated to distributing healthy food with dignity to those in poverty, while helping to inform the public about the issues of food insecurity, nutrition and poverty. Learn more at feedingsandiego.org.

Food Bank Holiday Food Drive

The San Diego Food Bank’s Holiday Food drive is underway throughout San Diego County. Vons shoppers can purchase a prefilled bag of groceries for $7 and place the bag in the Food Bank’s big red food drive donation barrels at the front of the store.

There are also other ways to help with the annual Holiday Food Drive. Anyone may also make a monetary donation online at bit.ly/2fIAZ8x. Clubs, businesses or other organizations may host a virtual food drive online as well. For more information and for online links to help organize a virtual food drive for the Food bank, visit bit.ly/20g8rX0.

The San Diego Food Bank sorts donated food at its warehouse, then distributes the items to low-income families and individuals at 183 distribution sites throughout the county each month. The Food Bank also gives food to 350 other nonprofit organizations that operate feeding programs.

For more information visit sandiegofoodbank.org.

YWCA Holiday Gift Drive

YWCA of San Diego County is conducting its annual Holiday Gift Drive now through Dec. 12. This program will benefit those in its residential domestic violence and homelessness programs. New, unwrapped holiday gifts are requested for children, teenagers, women and men.

Items can be dropped off at the YWCA administrative building, 1012 C St. by appointment only. Call Darlene Moreno, 619-239-0355, ext. 225, or send an email to [email protected]. For more information visit bit.ly/2fulp50.

USO Giving Tree

The Headquarters at Seaport will provide free holiday entertainment each Saturday leading up to Christmas Eve in its outdoor courtyard while USO of San Diego will collect gifts and donations for military families in need as part of the USO Giving Tree program. Suggested donations include board games, gift cards, sports equipment and toys for youngsters and gifts for teenage boys and girls.

The Saturday performance schedule at The Headquarters at Seaport includes the Valhalla High School band, Dec. 3, noon–2 p.m.; Third Marine Aircraft Wing Jazz Combo Band, Dec. 3, 3–4 p.m.; Navy Band Southwest’s 32nd Street Brass Band, Dec. 10, noon–1 p.m.; Valhalla High School band returns Dec. 17, noon–4 p.m.

The Giving Tree allows deserving military families a chance to select holiday presents for their children and have them wrapped. Families chosen to participate are allowed to pick up presents at the USO San Diego Downtown Center, 303 A Street. For more information visit bit.ly/2gp6GW3.

Make Change Count

The San Diego Downtown Partnership is once again holding its Make Change Count fundraising program to benefit the End Homelessness Campaign.

Funds raised through this campaign help pay for hygiene kits, the DSDP Family Reunification Program, items to assist with preparing for job interviews and other efforts to help the homeless.

Donations can be made at any of the many “donation stations” located throughout the Downtown area. The stations resemble red parking meters and accept coins and credit cards.

To find locations of the donation stations or to make a donation online, visit bit.ly/2fY04xe.

St. Paul’s Senior Services Events

St. Paul’s Senior Services is holding a trio of holiday drives and events this month.

• Free Pictures with Santa will be available Dec. 12 from 4–6 p.m. in St. Paul’s Plaza, 1420 E. Palomar St. in Chula Vista. Parents and grandparents are urged to bring the kids to have photos taken with Santa Claus, enjoy hot cocoa, sweet treats and holiday music.
• St. Paul’s Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) centers are holding a Sundries for Seniors program until Dec. 20. There are 500 senior citizens in the program and this year’s goal is to have a gift bag for each of them.

Donations of sundries or small gifts for seniors may be dropped off at two PACE locations between 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The two locations are St. Paul’s PACE Day Center, 111 Elm St. in Downtown San Diego and St. Paul’s PACE Day Center, 630 L St. in Chula Vista.

Those wishing to donate online may view a special PACE wish list on Amazon at amzn.to/2fzifx6 and the items will be delivered directly to St. Paul’s Reasner Center in San Diego. For more information visit bit.ly/2gtUKCd.

• St. Paul’s Senior Services also cares about pets waiting for a home as it hosts Santa Paws Blanket and Towel Drive for the Chula Vista Animal Center. St. Paul’s is asking for donations of clean used blankets and towels to be placed in drop off baskets at the Chula Vista Animal Shelter, 1420 East Palomar St., Chula Vista. For more information call 619-591-0600.

St. Paul’s Senior Services is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of San Diego’s senior community. For more information visit stpaulseniors.org.