Building Bridges with Heaven's Windows

kids enjoying a heaven's windows child nutrition program

Led by Angela Kretschmar, the small team at Heaven’s Windows makes a big impact by working together with other community-based organizations. Each month approximately 1,500 families receive resources from Heaven’s Windows including grocery staples, summer meals, and after-school snacks through sites such as churches and other neighborhood agencies. But the Heaven’s Windows team doesn’t stop at providing food. They serve as a resource center helping each person access the unique assistance needed to improve their lives. 

Angela reached out to us seven years ago, because she felt the Hunger Coalition could provide guidance and support for her mission. The Hunger Coalition provided advocacy strategies, CalFresh training and outreach opportunities, and put her in touch with other community-based organizations. Angela has been thankful for the Hunger Coalition’s CalFresh Task Force monthly meetings where she and her team can address real-time client issues and contract questions, as well as discussing complex program regulations.  

It has been a match made in heaven. A recent success story is “Jim,” who came to Heaven’s Windows looking for support in navigating his journey from prison to workforce re-entry. Consistent food assistance was an important piece of the puzzle. Through its partnership with San Diego Hunger Coalition, Heaven’s Windows helped Jim secure food assistance through CalFresh. Once that basic need was met, Jim enrolled in job skills training. With hard work and the right resources, Jim is now employed full-time and on his way to a healthy, active life.

Angela is also excited about working with Robin McNulty, the Hunger Coalition’s new Director of School Meal Programs. “The Hunger Coalition will provide a much needed bridge between small nonprofit agencies serving children and local school nutrition services departments providing the food,” says Angela. She is also looking forward to joining the Hunger Coalition-facilitated Summer Meals Task Force, which is a resource for organizations and schools wanting to start new summer meal sites and/or improve participation at existing sites. Heaven’s Windows provided 88,000 meals to children during the 2015 summer break, and they are planning to provide even more in 2016!

San Diego Hunger Coalition is proud to partner with Heaven’s Windows. We look forward to continuing our work together in 2016 to help more people like Jim move from food insecurity to self-sufficiency.

Same Day Service: A Better Way to Help Homeless with CalFresh

Photo Credit: US Department of Agriculture

CalFresh, a monthly supplement to a household or individual’s food budget, is one of the most effective tools we have to help people facing tough times access the food they need. But enrolling in CalFresh can be a complicated and long process, especially for homeless individuals without a mailing address or regular phone access. What if we could turn that complicated month-long process into a streamlined four-hour visit? San Diego Hunger Coalition, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency and Feeding America San Diego worked together to make that dream a reality.

The new model makes same-day CalFresh service possible for the first time. Individuals are prescreened for CalFresh eligibility, guided through completing the application, and then a County Eligibility Worker conducts an interview immediately. Eligible individuals can walk in seeking assistance and leave the same day enrolled in CalFresh with the option to pick up their card at the closest County office. The Hunger Coalition is exploring how CalFresh EBT cards can be made available on the spot at community organizations, rather than requiring a person pick up their card at a County office. This would allow organizations that aren’t within walking distance of a County office to take advantage of this easier model. 

This successful project is being implemented by Feeding America San Diego at community centers across San Diego County. In less than a year, eight same-day service clinics have helped more than 50 homeless individuals access CalFresh. The pilot began at the Third Avenue Charitable Organization downtown and has now expanded to Pacific Beach United Methodist Church and Bread of Life in Oceanside. The County has been applauded for its execution of Same Day Service at the state and national level, and agencies nationwide are looking at how to implement this model in their locations.

Anahid Brakke Elected Co-Chair of Hunger Advocacy Network

The Hunger Advocacy Network is a collaborative of San Diego organizations that work together to reduce food insecurity in San Diego County by shaping state policy. Legislative advocacy at the state level is critical to breaking down barriers to food assistance in San Diego County and across California. 

As newly elected co-chair of the Hunger Advocacy Network, executive director Anahid Brakke will serve alongside current co-chair Daniela Solano from Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank. “This closer partnership between the Hunger Coalition and Hunger Advocacy Network will better leverage our respective programs’ greatest strengths,” states Anahid. “Our goal is to identify more opportunities for the Hunger Coalition’s research and on-the-ground expertise to support Hunger Advocacy Network’s legislative efforts.”   

Fueling Hungry Minds with Breakfast and Internet Access: iCafe

One in four children in San Diego County go to school without breakfast. According to the Food & Research Action Committee, numerous studies conclude that “students who eat school breakfast increase their math and reading scores as well as improve their speed and memory in cognitive tests. Research also shows that children who eat breakfast at school perform better on standardized tests than those who skip breakfast or eat breakfast at home.” In addition to giving our kids the nutrition they need to succeed academically, ensuring every child receives a nutritious breakfast is a sure-fire way to reduce child hunger.

Unfortunately, research from California Food Policy Advocates has shown that only 40% of low-income students in San Diego County are reached by traditional school breakfast programs.  To address this, the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) selected the San Diego Hunger Coalition to work in partnership with the San Diego Unified School District to implement alternative breakfast strategies at select middle schools.

Yogurt parfait with fresh fruit and granola; a student favorite

Principal Nicola Labas of Clairemont’s Innovation Middle School, where 59% of students are eligible for free or reduced price school meals, has implemented a breakfast program with a creative twist. Apart from access to enough food, students also struggle with the Internet access they need for schoolwork.

Principal Labas’ program offers students access to both Internet and nutritious breakfast and at once. Her solution is iCafe, a school breakfast stand, in an area with Internet access, open an hour before school starts.  iCafe is an immediate success. The program has only been open for one month but school breakfast participation is already up by 11%. Innovation Middle School’s students love it. One of their favorite meals is a yogurt parfait with fresh fruit and granola. iCafe is also helping to remove the stigma associated with lack of access to food and Internet. The program has become so popular as a resource and social event that the school band came to play at the iCafe on December 9. 

2015 CalFresh Task Force Awards

Angel Flores, CalFresh Outreach Partner of the Year, with Amanda and Marcia

The collaborative power of the CalFresh Task Force is fueled by the passion and innovation of its members.  The annual CalFresh Task Force Awards honor individuals and organizations making major strides toward ending hunger in San Diego County. Awardees are nominated and selected by Task Force members.
 

CalFresh Community County Partnership of the Year

San Diego Food Bank, Feeding America San Diego, and Health Coverage Access

Applying for public assistance is a stigmatized and complicated process, and can be exhausting. These organizations have used a client-focused model of service to make San Diegans seeking CalFresh benefits feel welcomed and respected.

CalFresh Outreach Partner of the Year

Angel Flores, Community Resource Center

Even though the Community Resource Center in Encinitas has a small team, they were able to serve more participants in 2015 than ever before. Angel has improved CRC’s outreach by creating new partnerships in the North County community he serves. Angel has also capitalized on the County’s dedicated phone line for organizations providing CalFresh assistance and video conferencing for interviews to create a strong rapport with the residents he serves.

CalFresh County Liaison of the Year

Jennifer Cunningham, CalFresh Liaison North Inland

Jennifer uses new ideas to provide hard-to-reach populations with access to the food they need. In 2015, Jennifer partnered with the Julian Backcountry Collaborative to reach hungry households in the remote areas of Julian and organized a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren event to reach underserved, at-risk populations.

CalFresh Task Force Demonstrates Big Progress Toward Ending Hunger in 2015

We will end hunger in San Diego County by working together. Led by the San Diego Hunger Coalition, the CalFresh Task Force brings more than 50 diverse organizations together from across the county to better serve the needs of San Diegans facing hunger.

In 2015, we saw better collaboration, better use of technology and better communication strategies—all of which yielded major progress in our mission to give more San Diegans access to a path out of hunger to self-sufficiency. 

The CalFresh Task Force made progress on all five of its primary goals for 2015:

1. Client Follow Up and Advocacy Strategies

CalFresh Task Force’s monthly regional meetings created better client advocacy strategies and solved a number of specific case issues. Responding to concerns raised by community partners, the CalFresh Task Force invited the Health and Human Services’ ACCESS Call Center to present and engage in discussions with community partners about how to better help clients successfully meet application requirements. The Task Force also equipped its partners with the knowledge and tools needed to guide clients through new CalFresh application changes such as income reporting thresholds, cost of living adjustments and a new recertification form.

2. Better Serving Special Populations

Populations such as seniors and immigrants each have unique barriers to food. In 2015, we shortened the path between these populations and the food they need for an active and healthy life.

• San Diego Hunger Coalition helped pass legislation that reduces barriers to food security for individuals with previous drug felonies. We also worked to make sure that the new legislation was correctly implemented. The CalFresh Task Force partnered with state level partners to create new outreach materials for newly eligible individuals.
• Immigrant families face extra challenges because of language barriers, lack of awareness of food benefits and their eligibility, and misinformation surrounding immigration law. The Hunger Coalition and U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services assisted our 50+ CalFresh Task Force member organizations with guidance on how to best serve the diverse immigrant population of San Diego County. 
• Thanks to our ongoing partnership with the County of San Diego’s Aging and Independence Services Department, the CalFresh Task Force and San Diego’s senior-serving organizations are better connected in order to enroll low-income seniors in CalFresh. More good news on this coming in 2016!

3. Ensuring San Diegans Don’t Lose Access To Food Assistance

CalFresh recipients have to submit new paperwork to maintain their benefits every six months, and many San Diegans struggle with hunger because they miss report deadlines. To better reach San Diegans at risk of losing their benefits due to the complex reporting process, CalFresh Task Force worked with partners to map the process and brainstorm strategies to help clients. In addition, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency launched a text message reminder system to reach San Diegans due for reapplication.

4. Better Technology and Collaboration

In 2014, CalFresh Task Force members came together to improve the County’s online CalFresh application tools (mybenefitscalwin.org), streamlining the process so that more San Diegans could get access to the food they need. In 2015, we’re proud to announce that the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency paid for and implemented many of the updates recommended. The technology supporting the CalFresh application process is now more efficient, effective and able to better serve San Diegans in need. 

5. Sharing Best Practices and Opportunities

San Diego Hunger Coalition’s new CalFresh online resources offer CalFresh Task Force members better access to the tools and up-to-date information they need to better serve their clients. Monthly CalFresh Task Force meetings in each region offered opportunities for member organizations to collaborate on specific challenges, such as verification of applicant income, which we learned was difficult for many partners. This led to the Hunger Coalition working with HHSA to develop a new CalFresh income verification fact sheet. A simple solution that saves everyone time.

Looking Toward 2016

We’re looking forward to building upon our progress in 2015 to make more strides toward ending hunger in San Diego County. CalFresh Task Force partners have identified the following areas of focus for 2016:

• Better service to students, seniors and immigrants
• Continue building a more streamlined CalFresh application process so it’s not a barrier to San Diegans receiving the food assistance they need

The CalFresh Task Force will finalize 2016 goals in January regional meetings.

Policy Wrap-Up From The Year

Thank you for your generous support on key legislation covering hunger, access and health in 2015. You’ve made a real difference this year. Here is an update on three of the issues we supported:

• AB 1321 (Ting): California Nutrition Incentives – This bill, signed into law by Governor Brown, created the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program which doubles the purchasing power of CalFresh when used to buy California-grown fruits, nuts and vegetables. Although the law passed, it still requires the matching funds for implementation. The work to secure this funding from the State of California is expected to pick up again in 2016.
   
• Social Security Income Policy Reform - People on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) often do not have enough money for food (single Californians only receive $889/month for all living expenses, including food), but SSI makes them ineligible for other benefits that could provide the food they need. While this law, which would raise SSI payments above the poverty level, did not pass, it made incredible progress thanks to the work of Californians for SSI (CA4SSI). Advocates are already building on the progress made in preparation for the 2016 legislative cycle. You can help by signing this petition. 
   
• Child Nutrition Reauthorization - The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is still due for reauthorization by Congress. If you think all children deserve the food they need to reach their potential, call your representative in Congress and ask them to sponsor a strong child nutrition bill.

Spreading The Word About School Meals

Our School Meals Program Director Robin McNulty, MPH presents "Getting the Word Out: Marketing Your School Meals Program" at the Annual California School Nutrition Association Conference on November 6.

The San Diego Hunger Coalition is pleased to announce that our School Meals Program will now be under the leadership of Robin McNulty, MPH. Robin is an expert in the field of nutrition, for the past 10 years she served as Director of Nutrition Services for the Lemon Grove School District. 
 
In her new role as School Meals Program Director, Robin will build upon the Hunger Coalition’s recent successes and deep commitment to ensuring children have access to healthy food year-round through school meals and other Federal Child Nutrition Programs. 

Getting the Word Out: Marketing Your School Meals Program is the title of a presentation given by Robin, on November 6th, 2015, at the 63rd Annual California School Nutrition Association Conference. Seventy-five school nutrition professionals attended the morning workshop to learn how to increase participation in school meal programs with low cost outreach strategies. The presentation focused on best practices for outreach methods to raise awareness from the Hunger Coalition and our partners. Here are four of the key outreach methods discussed:

1. Raising awareness about summer meals programs is most effective when it comes from a trusted entity or word of mouth.  During summer 2015, the Hunger Coalition launched an awareness building campaign to build participation at 5 summer meal sites in Southeastern San Diego through in partnership with San Diego Unified School District. We distributed nearly 5,000 flyers in the surrounding neighborhoods; placed ads in community newspapers; and partnered with local organizations, community leaders, and elected officials to make announcements at community events and in community newsletters. We only saw a slight uptick in participation at the location where the site director – who is well-known in the neighborhood -- distributed flyers himself.  We believe that families need to receive the information repeatedly and, most importantly, from sources they trust.
2. The Chula Vista Community Collaborative has been extremely successful in spreading the word about school and summer meal programs by utilizing promotoras. This outreach model recruits neighborhood champions to get the word out in a grassroots style.  The trained community members go door to door to provide information about available resources and how to receive the services.   
3. Technology is a growing strategy for reaching parents and kids.  Over the summer, the Hunger Coalition tested Share Our Strength’s “Text ‘FOOD’ to 877-877” program on our flyers to help people find the closest summer meals sites. Upon entering an address, the program will text nearby locations with information on the meals served and times.  To speak to a person about summer meal site locations, people can also call 2-1-1 San Diego.   
4. Another technology solution that we highlighted was the Digital School Menus mobile app that San Diego Unified School District and Sweetwater Union High School District are using to feature daily school food menus with nutrition information.  Parents and kids are loving being able to see what their school is serving for breakfast, lunch and supper.  

Lastly, during the share sessions other school districts shared their innovative outreach practices, such as contacting local businesses to post flyers in the store windows and contacting local law enforcement community resource officers to inform about the free summer meal programs. 

Looking for ways to build participation in your school meals program?  The Hunger Coalition can help!  Contact Robin McNulty, Director of School Meal Programs at robin@sdhunger.org or 619-501-7917 ext. 104.

Building CalFresh Capacity across San Diego County

MARCIA GARCIA, SDHC’S CALFRESH COORDINATOR, PROVIDING CALFRESH 101 TRAINING AT 2-1-1 SAN DIEGO

Over the past two months, our CalFresh Team has been busy training more than 65 CalFresh application assisters across San Diego County. As a part of the Hunger Coalition’s work to increase CalFresh enrollment, we provide a variety of trainings for nonprofit staff and volunteers. Our workshops range from monthly “CalFresh 101” trainings on eligibility screening and effective application assistance to specialized presentations on topics such as working with Legal Permanent Residents or senior CalFresh outreach. Recognized for our expertise and high quality trainings, the Hunger Coalition is regularly invited to provide our workshops across the state via webinars, conference calls and in person visits. 

One organization we have had the pleasure of working more closely with this year is 2-1-1 San Diego. Over the past year, the Hunger Coalition provided training to more than 45 staff from 2-1-1 San Diego.  Claire Oksayan, Director of Programs at 2-1-1 San Diego recently shared that, “The support provided through the years by Hunger Coalition has allowed us to build a highly successful program providing over-the-phone enrollment in programs such as CalFresh, Medi-Cal and Covered California. This program has more than quadrupled in size since inception in 2009, and a key partner in helping us be successful is the Hunger Coalition.”   

The Hunger Coalition has trained more than 180 people this year, and we still have one month to go!  Each full time CalFresh application assister can enroll 300 households per year.  In San Diego County, the average household award is $274 per month.  If the 180 people we’ve trained so far this year enrolled 300 households per year, that would provide more than $96 million in grocery dollars for low-income families.  We are proud to work with our partners to ensure that individuals across San Diego County can apply for and receive the food benefits they need, during the holidays and beyond. 

Hunger Action Month and CalFresh Challenge Recap

MARCIA GARCIA, SDHC CALFRESH COORDINATOR, WITH ASSEMBLYMEMBER SHIRLEY WEBER'S STAFF HOLDING THEIR CERTIFICATE FOR COMPLETING THE CALFRESH CHALLENGE

In reflecting on Hunger Action Month, San Diego Hunger Coalition is proud of the progress we made with our partners in raising our region’s understanding of hunger. In addition to participating in a collaborative social media campaign with other anti-hunger organizations, the Hunger Coalition hosted the annual CalFresh Challenge. Over 60 organizations and individuals participated including, for the first time ever, Senator Ben Hueso and Assemblymember Shirley Weber (and many of her staff). They accepted the challenge head on and were led to the all-too-common conclusion that the average CalFresh benefit of $4.38/day is barely enough to fuel an active, healthy life. Read about Senator Hueso’s experience here. 

As we move into the holiday season, we encourage our supporters not to lose momentum in their work advocating for those who use CalFresh as a means to reach self-sufficiency. A monthly supplement to a household’s food budget remains one of our nation’s most effective tools to help people struggling with hunger to become independent. 

Be an advocate for the hungry all year by understanding important basics of CalFresh:

• Food Stamps 

The term “food stamps” is, unfortunately, surrounded by prejudice, myth and misinformation. It’s important to understand what “food stamps” actually are today. The modern iteration of food stamps, known as CalFresh in California and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) nationally, is simply a monthly supplement to a household’s food budget. There aren’t actually any stamps involved. The benefits are via a debit card, or EBT card, and can be spent on food at grocery stores and farmers markets. A CalFresh EBT card can only purchase groceries, it cannot buy alcohol, tobacco, toiletries or hot food items. In San Diego County, the average enrollment period in CalFresh is two years.

• High Quality Control 

CalFresh/SNAP has one of the most rigorous quality control systems of any public benefit program. States must conduct regular quality control reviews of SNAP case files to ensure that benefits are accurately distributed. Ongoing improvements to the program have kept fraud to a historic low of less than 2 percent.

• Hunger is expensive

A population of people struggling through periods of hunger has massive economic implications. Hunger leads to labor loss, impairment of cognitive and physical development of children, higher truancy and drop out rates in students, national security and community safety concerns and higher healthcare costs. These are estimated to add up to $167.5 billion per year. Charitable food distribution is many times more expensive than SNAP. Providing $4.38/day to supplement a household’s food budget and provide a path to self-sufficiency doesn’t just help the hungry; it’s an investment in our economy and future. 

Hunger and the Holidays: How you can be an anti-hunger advocate at your own Thanksgiving table

Living in a county with the 5th richest city in America, it’s hard to imagine that so many people go hungry each day in our region. Hunger in San Diego County does not always mean starvation, but it does mean not knowing exactly how to pay for groceries, not being able to afford nutritious foods, or regularly skipping meals so your children can eat. We call it “food insecurity,” and it means not having enough food at all times to lead an active, healthy life.

As we head to the table this Thanksgiving, we encourage our supporters to take a moment to help spread the word about the hunger that lives right in the heart of our own communities. Typically, we think of Thanksgiving as a great time to volunteer at the food bank, but did you know that many food banks and pantries actually have to turn away volunteers at this time, since it is one of the only times more people volunteer than they can handle? If you can’t find an opportunity to volunteer, there are still many other ways you can get involved in the fight against hunger this Thanksgiving holiday season!

Suggestions for how you can bring hunger issues to the conversation and be an active advocate for the hungry this Thanksgiving:

1. Create place cards with hunger statistics on the back of them for setting your Thanksgiving table.
2. Enjoy a good Turkey Trot? This one benefits two local anti-hunger organizations (and it is dog friendly!).
3. Create a “Tip the Cook” jar and donate that money to your favorite anti-hunger organization.
4. To spark the conversation around hunger, ask everyone at the table to guess how many people are food insecure in America (49.1 million) and San Diego (470,000).
5. Sometime during Thanksgiving weekend, screen A Place at the Table, an insightful documentary about hunger in America, which includes testimonials from Jeff Bridges and Tom Colicchio.
6. In honor of giving Tuesday on December 1st, give the Hunger Coalition a good old-fashioned donation. Your money in partnership with the Hunger Coalition funds the incubation of new, permanent solutions to hunger. 

School Meals Program Announcement

The San Diego Hunger Coalition is pleased to announce that our School Meals Program will now be under the leadership of Robin McNulty, MPH, who is an expert in the field of school nutrition and a passionate advocate for children and equitable services to all. 
 
For the past 10 years, Robin served as Director of Nutrition Services for the Lemon Grove School District.  In her new role as School Meals Program Director, Robin will build upon the Hunger Coalition’s recent successes and deep commitment to ensuring children have access to healthy food year-round through school meals and other Federal Child Nutrition Programs. 
 
With 1 in 4 children arriving to school hungry every day in San Diego County, and enough hungry kids to fill Qualcomm Stadium twice over, it is imperative that we fully utilize the options and resources available to give our children their best chance at success. 
 
The Hunger Coalition’s School Meals Program offers hands-on technical assistance to school districts and community-based organizations to implement or increase participation in:

• Universal Free Meals through Provision 2 for schools where more than 80% qualify for Free & Reduced Price Meals.
• Breakfast after the Bell, which has been proven to reach many more kids and improve school performance.
• “Supper” Meals, offered during after-school programs through the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
• Summer and Intersession Meals, offered when school is not in session.

 
We look forward to the enrichment of our partnerships and encourage you to review Robin’s full bio on our website.  Robin’s first day at the Hunger Coalition will be Tuesday, November 3, 2015, and you may contact her at robin@sdhunger.org or 619-501-7917.

CalFresh Outreach Director Amanda Schultz wins Freshy Award for Innovative Leadership!

CFO Director Amanda Schultz with State Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins and her Freshy award

The San Diego Hunger Coalition is thrilled to announce that our CalFresh Outreach Director, Amanda Schultz, was awarded the statewide 2015 CalFresh Forum "Freshy" Award for Innovative Outreach Leader of the Year!

Each year, California Food Policy Advocates hosts the CalFresh Forum to bring together CalFresh policy advocates from around the state to share out and collaborate on improving CalFresh benefits and enrollment. This year the Forum was designed with three plenary speakers each bringing unique insight into modernized business processes and systems which can be adapted to improve CalFresh participation and customer service, including our own Rick Wanne, Director of Eligibility Operations for the County of San Diego.

As part of the Forum and voted on by peers, each year the Freshy Awards honor the actions of individual Californians and organizations from across the state who have worked diligently in the last year to improve CalFresh.

Freshy Awards at the CA Food Policy Advocates CalFresh Forum 2015

Take Direct Action on AB 1321 - Nutrition Incentives

Assembly Bill 1321 has passed the legislature and needs calls to the Governor's office to encourage him to sign it into law! AB 1321 would create a matching program to draw down money from a federal program that provides bonus dollars if benefits from CalFresh and similar programs are spent on Californian grown fruits, vegetables or nuts at farmers markets or small retail outlets.

Our partners at Hunger Advocacy Network have put out the following call to action!:

These bills now go to the Governor’s desk for signature. Even though both of these bills benefited from strong bipartisan support in both houses and no opposition, we still want to ensure that Gov. Brown hears from constituents up and down California to highlight their significance to Gov. Brown and push for his signature. Please take the following action by this Friday, September 11th:

Make calls – either as an individual or on behalf of your organization – and encourage your clients, colleagues, board, and others in your network to do the same!

Call (916) 445-2841 (an intern or aide will take your call) an use the following scripts:

 AB 1321: Hello, my name is __________ and I live in/work at __________. I am calling to urge Governor Brown to sign AB 1321: CA Nutrition Incentives Act. B 1321 is a step in the right direction in order to end food insecurity and keep our families and local economies healthy. It would also leverage federal matching dollars. The Legislature gave strong bipartisan support for this bill and I hope Governor Brown will support it too by signing this bill into law.

Thank you for your support on this vital issue!

A History of the San Diego Hunger Coalition

The San Diego Hunger Coalition was founded on Thanksgiving Day in 1974, when a group of caring San Diegans banded together to address local concern over hunger. The Coalition’s first advocacy campaign was in 1975 with the support of SB 530, proposed legislation that would enable local stores to donate their damaged food for anti-hunger efforts.

For the first three years of program operation, the Hunger Coalition existed as a project of the San Diego Ecumenical Conference. In order to obtain more independence, in 1977, the Hunger Coalition developed by-laws and applied for 501(c)3 tax exempt status as an association. Throughout its initial 15 years of service, the SDHC recognized the larger political and environmental impacts of poverty and their connection to food insecurity. Based upon this world view, the Coalition focused on additional advocacy efforts, including issues such as: campaigning for general welfare reform and peace in Central America, supporting farm worker movements and boycotts, and registering their opposition to nuclear facilities and CalFresh/SNAP cuts. This underlying foundation guided much of the Coalition’s work including its commitment to advocacy, education and direct service.

 In the early years of the new millennium, the SDHC turned its attention towards federal programs including CalFresh/SNAP and School Meals Programs.

 The SDHC began providing training and support to community based organizations contracted to conduct CalFresh/SNAP outreach, build relationships with County staff, and open up dialog and feedback loops in order to identify barriers to federal benefits and improve access for low income people. Through these partnerships the Food Stamp Task Force (now called the CalFresh Task Force) was developed in 2005, when San Diego County utilization rates ranked among the worst in the nation at 26%. 2006 was momentous as it saw the SDHC hire its first paid staff member through a grant from MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. Today the Task Force boasts more than 40 member organizations and has monthly meetings in each region of the county.  San Diego’s CalFresh participation rate has increased to 64%, but this is still far below the 80-90% typical in other metropolitan areas of the U.S. 

Today, SDHC continues to operate as a lean but high-powered organization with a staff of six, located in the City Heights area of San Diego. In 2015, SDHC hired a full time staff person to focus on school meals, and we have become the designated facilitator for the Summer Lunch Task Force, which is a working group of the County’s Community Nutrition Action Partnership (CNAP). We anticipate this program area growing in scale and impact similar to our CalFresh Outreach program, and we are also actively aligning outreach between the two program areas. Our legislative and systems change advocacy efforts are focused on CalFresh and School Meals, and how we can best interconnect federal food assistance programs with other community-based efforts to end hunger.