Feeding San Diego | Hunger Relief, Food Rescue & Volunteer Opportunities

Feeding San Diego Mission Statement

Connect every person facing hunger with nutritious meals by maximizing food rescue.

Vision

A hunger-free and healthy San Diego.

Values of Feeding San Diego: A.S.C.E.N.D

Agility We are dedicated to adaptability, flexibility, and continuous improvement

Stewardship We are committed to managing every gift of time, funds, and voice responsibly

Collaboration We partner throughout the community to maximize reach and efficiency

Environment We protect the environment throughout responsible food sourcing and business practices

Nutrition We know that nutritious food is a transformative force to health and well-being

Dignity We embrace diversity and believe in the power of dignity and kindness

Programs and Services

Established in 2007, Feeding San Diego rescues surplus food from local and national food donors before it goes to waste and gets it to people facing hunger in San Diego County. It is the only Feeding America partner food bank in the region. Last year, the hunger-relief organization provided more than 31 million meals to children, families, seniors, college students, military families, and veterans in partnership with a network of more than 350 local charities, schools, colleges, faith communities, healthcare providers, and meal sites. It operates a multitude of hunger-relief and food programs countywide that support people facing hunger with food assistance or resources.

Eligibility

Eligibility varies by program and by distribution partner. Generally, food assistance is available to anyone experiencing hunger through Feeding San Diego distributions, with specific criteria outlined by specific distribution partners and eligibility requirements for programs like CalFresh.

Food Distribution

Feeding San Diego distributes food at hundreds of locations, including schools, churches, and community centers. Their website provides an interactive Find Food Map that utilizes zip codes to locate nearby food distributions.

Volunteer and Donation Information

Feeding San Diego is grateful to the more than 12,500 volunteers that support its mission every year. There are volunteer shifts not only at the Sorrento Valley distribution center (welcoming ages 6+) but also throughout San Diego County at onsite food distributions and in the community.

Opportunities include:  

• Sorting, gleaning, and packing rescued food (individual and group opportunities available)
• Operational support for community food distributions, including those held by Feeding San Diego partner organizations
• Operational and staffing support for the Feeding San Diego Marketplace
• Community Outreach Ambassador to staff offsite events
• Food rescue driver to pick up and deliver food donations

Right around 97% of Feeding San Diego’s funding comes from private support, with just one percent coming from government sources. Feeding San Diego relies on philanthropic support from individuals, corporations, and the community to fund its critical hunger-relief and food rescue programs and ensure San Diegans can access food assistance without barriers. Donation methods include monetary donations, food donations, and corporate sponsorships.

Feeding San Diego Volunteer Details

In the non-profit’s Sorrento Valley headquarters, all volunteers must be six years of age or older to participate. At food distributions in the community, all volunteers must be fourteen years of age or older to participate. All volunteers fifteen years of age or younger must have a chaperone over the age of 18.

Community Partners

Feeding San Diego’s network is made up of hundreds of partnerships that power its mission. To distribute food, key collaborators include local nonprofits, schools, and community centers. To source food, the non-profit relies on partnerships with grocery stores, food manufacturers and distributors, farms, and more. Feeding San Diego is a partner food bank of Feeding America, a proud member of the California Association of Food Banks, a Better Business Bureau accredited charity, a member of 1% for the Planet, a United Nations Association of San Diego Global Goals Champion, and named a four-star charity by Charity Navigator. It also received the Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency.

Other organizations the non-profit is partnered with include Live Well San Diego, the San Diego Military Advisory Council, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, and ReFed.

Impact Metrics

As the region’s only Feeding America partner, Feeding San Diego provided over 31 million meals last year through a network of 350+ community partners. Impressively, 90% of the food distributed was rescued, preventing waste and helping the environment by diverting 32.6 million pounds of food from landfills and avoiding nearly 29,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions, the equivalent of taking more than 6,700 cars off the road for one year.

Contact Information

Phone Number: (858) 452-3663

Email: [email protected]

Address: 9477 Waples St., Ste. 100, San Diego, CA 92121

www.feedingsandiego.org

Website Features

Feeding San Diego’s website includes tools like the Find Food Map, an online donation portal, and a volunteer sign-up system to streamline community engagement.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):