Organizations are reminding San Diegans that volunteering is most needed AFTER the holidays, NBC 7’s Dana Williams reports.
It’s the season of giving, and Feeding San Diego is in the spirit. Well, they’re always in the spirit.
In the month of December, the organization anticipates distributing roughly 3.5 million pounds of food across the region. It is part of achieving their mission statement, which their website lists as being able to, “connect every person facing hunger with nutritious meals by maximizing food rescue.”
And, it’s all made possible with the help of people who volunteer their time.
“During the holidays we get a lot of volunteers here and it’s really fun and exciting,” said Patty O’Connor, Feeding San Diego’s Chief Supply Chain Officer.
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But, while the effort to connect people with access to food may ramp up slightly around the holidays, the work does not stop after New Year’s Day.
“Come January, our volunteers seem to slow down a bit,” said O’Connor. “That’s where we really need San Diego’s help.”
Volunteers are able to spend their time doing a variety of tasks, like handing out food at large-scale drive-through events or driving meals to those in need. One of the most popular is sorting food at Feeding San Diego’s distribution center in Sorrento Valley.
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Two UCSD students, Kevin Moreno and Aria Okimoto, started working on this shift a few months ago. They both agreed it is a way to destress from school, and something they plan to continue doing.
“It’s something we look forward to and we really enjoy it,” said Moreno. “We really want to give back. Us college students, we have so many privileges and benefits that we realize that other people don’t necessarily have.”
In the past couple of years, organizations like Feeding San Diego have played a role in helping people cope with inflation. However, they have not been immune to dealing with the impact themselves.
“A lot of what we bring in, even though it is donated so we don’t have to pay for the actual food itself, we do have to pay for the transportation to get it here and those costs have increased significantly,” said O’Connor.
On top of added costs, the organization was receiving less food donations because of pandemic-related supply chain issues which, in turn, hurt what they are able to give out to San Diegans. O’Connor explained that 70% of food that Feeding San Diego distributes is donation-based, while the other 30% needs to be purchased. As part of that, food is rescued from local grocery stores and eateries. For example, this could mean they might have too much food and it is at risk of going to waste unless distributed immediately.
“There are so many people that are facing food insecurity, so why not take the excess food that’s out there and give it to the people in need,” said O’Connor.
You can find ways to get involved here.
