Amid record enrollment in food benefits across San Diego County, Feeding San Diego is partnering with city and federal agencies to feed students and families this summer during what they call the “hungriest time of year.” The nonprofit has partnered with city public libraries and Parks & Recreation, along with the San Diego Unified School
Amid record enrollment in food benefits across San Diego County, Feeding San Diego is partnering with city and federal agencies to feed students and families this summer during what they call the “hungriest time of year.”
The nonprofit has partnered with city public libraries and Parks & Recreation, along with the San Diego Unified School District and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to set up school pantries and meal sites where students can get free, nutritious meals for themselves and food for their families during the summer months.
The program comes as the county announced this week it’s experiencing record enrollment in CalFresh — the state’s version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. More than 398,000 people were getting benefits as of June 1, up 5.8 percent from this time last year.
Over the past decade, CalFresh enrollment in San Diego County has risen by 59 percent as part of local efforts to address this shortfall — and as a direct result of the increased need, said Rick Wanne, director of the county’s self-sufficiency services.
Food insecurity in the region has worsened in recent years and now affects about 10 percent of county residents, according to Feeding America.
A new study the nonprofit released last month found more than 100,000 kids in the region are among them.
And almost half of the county’s nearly 500,000 K-12 students rely on free or reduced-price meals at school — meals they otherwise lose access to in the summer months.
“Providing nourishment to kids during the summer months is absolutely vital to good health,” said Bob Kamensky, the nonprofit’s CEO. “It takes strong partnerships with community organizations to secure key gathering sites like our county libraries and recreation centers to be able to deliver the nutritious food where the local kids can receive the meals.”
More than 30 schools, libraries, parks, and other community centers across the county will become food distribution sites as part of the summer food service program.
Some sites will offer free breakfast and lunch to kids and teens in the community, while others will offer fresh produce and pantry items for families, plus nutrition education resources, reading activities for kids and other food benefits for families to purchase groceries. The full list of sites can be found at feedingsandiego.org/where-to-find-free-summer-meals/.
Feeding San Diego also provides no-cost food distributions year-round throughout the county.
Families with school-age children can also participate in the new state summer food program.
SUN Bucks, or summer EBT, will give eligible children an additional $120 in food benefits this summer, or $40 per month. Children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals or get CalFresh, CalWORKs or Medi-Cal are automatically enrolled.
The county offers information about CalFresh and free, in-person help to enroll those eligible. More information is available on the county’s website or by calling 2-1-1.