#MemberMonday: Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank

Since the COVID-19 pandemic reached San Diego County in mid-March of 2020, the San Diego Food Bank and their North County Food Bank chapter have been on the frontlines feeding individuals, families, and older adults facing food insecurity throughout San Diego County. Their COVID-19 distribution statistics demonstrate how they are efficiently and effectively serving those affected by the pandemic. Here is their response by the numbers:

63%
The percentage increase in the amount of food distributed during the pandemic compared to the same period last year.

8 million
The number of emergency diapers distributed to families in need countywide since the start of the COVID-19 crisis.

600,000 
The number of people SDFB is currently feeding every month since the pandemic hit the region. Previously, they fed 350,000 people monthly.

52 Million Pounds of Food
The amount of food they have distributed to families in need from mid-March to the end of January 2021. They are distributing over 1 million pounds of food per week.

$11 million
The amount of donor dollars the Food Bank used to purchase food on the wholesale food market since mid-March 2020 to feed families impacted by COVID-19. In normal times, the Food Bank spends $1 million per calendar year.

 

32,000 
The number of volunteer visits, since the start of the pandemic, to their warehouses in Vista and Miramar to sort, package and distribute food to those in need.

 

Chris Carter, VP of Communications, Marketing, & Public Affairs at SDFB states, “CAFB provides its member food banks with access to food sourcing and nutrition services, policy and advocacy support at all levels of government including federal, state and local; and it enables the state’s network food banks to speak as one strong voice as we represent our client populations facing food insecurity. The entire team at the CAFB plays a vital support role for our network of food banks and those we serve.”

One client population that SDFB has been able to assist is military families. “Before we moved to San Diego, we were stationed in Houston, Texas, and I was working in the public health department at a medical center,” said Yolanda, a military mom with three children. “I lost my job when we moved here from Texas. It’s hard to get a job if you are a military spouse. Nobody wants to hire you because they know that you will have to move in a couple of years.”

The San Diego Food Bank supplies food for a monthly food distribution for low-income military families in partnership with the San Diego Armed Services YMCA.

I lost my job due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, I am homeschooling all three of my daughters full-time because the schools are closed due to COVID-19. Right now, we are getting by on my husband’s paycheck from the Navy.

Yolanda, SDFB Client

Thank you, San Diego Food Bank, for all that you do for the community!

All photos, stories, and data courtesy Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank
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