Our Latest Updates on the Fight Against Hunger in San Diego County
Last week, our School Meals Program Director Robin McNulty traveled to the California State Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education to advocate for Breakfast After The Bell Programs across the state.
Robin's testimony supported a larger effort to advocate for increased access to school breakfast programs in California. You can learn more about the benefits of breakfast in the classroom programs here.
Dear Partners,
You may have heard about the Public Policy Institute of California’s (PPIC) recent release of CalFresh participation data by county. It was mentioned in the Voice of San Diego’s Morning Report in a bullet under “Quick News Hits.” CalFresh is one of our most powerful anti-hunger tools and the percentage of eligible households enrolled in CalFresh is an important metric in our effort to end hunger in San Diego County.
PPIC reports that 30.7 percent of those eligible for CalFresh are enrolled. Voice of San Diego compares this number to the 2007 rate of 35 percent, which they take from a different source (Food Research & Action Center) using different methodology.
The San Diego Hunger Coalition believes the PPIC estimate to be low. Our Director of CalFresh Outreach, Amanda Schultz, has provided the following explanation. She spoke with the Union Tribune yesterday, who reached out to us for comment. Hopefully that conversation will yield broader sharing of this information. We also invite you to share this blog post through your own outlets to help inform other hunger advocates and the public.
PPIC's reported CalFresh enrollment rates are so low because of the denominator used to measure eligibility. Instead of the 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Line denominator currently used by USDA, California Department of Social Services, and CA Food Policy Advocates -- the other organizations that release CalFresh participation indices -- PPIC uses a 200 percent Federal Poverty Line denominator. This artificially inflates the number of California and San Diego County residents eligible for benefits.
Due to the intricacies of the CalFresh eligibility process, which utilizes two layers of income testing, not everyone who passes the first income test of 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line is eligible for CalFresh.
To keep it simple, there are two income tests for CalFresh, and most households have to meet both income tests to be eligible for benefits. The first income test is easy, which is whether gross income (all income before taxes) falls below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line. Measuring eligibility becomes trickier in the second income test.
Federal guidelines require that a very specific set of formulas be used to determine what portion of a household’s income could potentially be used for food. These formulas deduct a percentage of federally-approved basic living expenses from a household’s gross income. The remaining income, after deducting amounts for basic living expense, has to be below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level in order to qualify for benefits.
Unfortunately, CalFresh eligibility calculations are based on antiquated federal formulas that do not deduct the full cost of basic living expenses in the modern era, especially in regards to housing costs in San Diego, and thus are not an accurate reflection of need. While the first (advertised) gross income test is 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line in California, we find that households close to this measurement may or may not end up qualifying for benefits. San Diego Hunger Coalition believes that a more accurate CalFresh utilization rate would start with the 135 percent of the Federal Poverty Line population. However, 125 percent is what is available through the Census and most often used.
San Diego Hunger Coalition is working with the County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA) and advocates statewide to develop a more accurate indicator for measuring CalFresh utilization. In the meantime, community-based organizations and HHSA come together every month through the Hunger Coalition’s CalFresh Task Force to work together to successfully address barriers to CalFresh enrollment, which has increased by 221 percent since 2007.
The Hunger Coalition strongly recommends that individuals or families who are close to 200 percent of the federal poverty line still apply for CalFresh. Application is free and accessible through the following routes:
We are happy to provide additional information as requested.
Sincerely,
Anahid Brakke
Executive Director
San Diego Hunger Coalition
High School students present their san diego hunger coalition benefit project
In November of 2015, five students from Clairemont High School’s Academy of Business woke up at 3:00 a.m. to prepare food for a fundraiser for the San Diego Hunger Coalition. The students were participating in program designed by Main Street Philanthropy to teach our next generation of leaders the value of giving back.
The course gives students an overview of the nonprofit industry. Students learn about local organizations and interview nonprofit staff and philanthropists. As the course progresses, students team up based on the causes they are passionate about and select a nonprofit to support with an event. We’re honored that five students chose San Diego Hunger Coalition.
Team Hunger Coalition’s fundraiser was a success, raising $112.65 and teaching friends and classmates about food insecurity. Most importantly, the five students had the experience of making a real difference for a cause they care about. We hope they’re hooked for life.
In San Diego County, 59 percent of children who benefit from free or reduced-price school lunches don’t have access to this important nutrition during the summer months. That’s more than 68,000 kids.
Our Director of School Meal Programs, Robin McNulty, attended the annual Summer Meal Summit hosted by the California Summer Meal Coalition to learn about the latest strategies for increasing summer meal participation. From Robin’s perspective as an experienced summer meal provider, here are the top five tips for San Diego organizations looking to help children access healthy meals this summer.
Task Force visits County’s Access Customer Service Call Center
Many San Diego families who have fallen on tough times rely on CalFresh (the modern iteration of food stamps) to purchase food from local grocers and farmers markets. But all too often, confusing guidelines and complex processes prevent people from receiving this vital food assistance. The County of San Diego’s Access Customer Service Call Center helps community based organizations and their clients navigate the process and access the benefits they’re eligible for. When a resident or community agency needs to speak with the County about a CalFresh case, they call the Access line. In some cases, however, clients need the additional support of a community partner to help them better understand the application or what’s happening with their case.
In 2013, on behalf of the CalFresh Task Force, the San Diego Hunger Coalition advocated for the launch of a separate phone line specifically for community-based organizations that help individuals apply for or maintain their CalFresh, Medi-Cal and CalWORKS benefits. The County responded and launched the “Access CBO Line” for Community Based Organizations.
Today, over 20 Access Customer Service Call Center staff answer an average of 270 calls each day on the Access CBO Line, continually decreasing the wait times for callers. Community advocates rely heavily on the Access CBO Line, because it enables them to skip the wait and quickly connect with a County staff member and ask about multiple client cases at the same time. This is the only county information phone line in the state specifically developed for community partners.
The Hunger Coalition continues to keep communication channels open between the Access Call Center team and community based organizations through the CalFresh Task Force. The Call Center’s staff presented at the countywide CalFresh Task Force meeting in August 2015, and invited Task Force members to visit and tour the Call Center in October. We look forward to continuing this open dialogue and feedback loop with the County and Call Center staff to support their commitment to providing the highest levels of customer service to individuals struggling with hunger and the community based organizations that support them.
You may learn more about the Access Customer Service Center on its website. In addition to the CBO line, the Access Call Center offers other specialized services such as Access2Health. The Access2Health team, created with implementation of the Affordable Care Act, handles calls and process applications from Covered California customers who are potentially eligible for expanded Medi-Cal. Access also responds to email requests received via the County’s public assistance email account (pubassist.HHSA@sdcounty.ca.gov) and call back requests generated through the MyBenefitsCalWIN website.
CalFresh Task Force February Meeting
From lack of transportation to isolation, seniors across the U.S. face distinct challenges to make ends meet. In San Diego, the high cost of living adds an extra burden for our local elders -- and aging in place is especially difficult. Data from the Insight Center for Community Economic Development shows that a San Diego County senior needs to bring in $2,034 each month simply to cover minimum basic expenses such as housing, food and healthcare. A shocking 42 percent of older adults (65+) in San Diego County do not have enough income to meet their most basic needs.
CalFresh, a monthly supplement to a household’s food budget, can help seniors access the food they need. Based on income, seniors can receive $16 to $196 per month for food. Unfortunately, while many San Diego County seniors are eligible for CalFresh, few enroll in this vital program.
To address this disconnect, San Diego Hunger Coalition’s CalFresh Task Force dedicated its first quarterly meeting of the year to building bridges between organizations that serve seniors and agencies that provide CalFresh application assistance. On February 25, 2016, representatives from Aging and Independence Services, Meals on Wheels, Dreams for Change, and the County Health & Human Services Agency joined the Task Force meeting to discuss opportunities for partnership to help more seniors get CalFresh.
The conversation will continue at the March regional CalFresh Task Force meetings.
Does your organization help seniors? We’d love you to join us for a CalFresh Task Force meeting to learn and share your ideas. Our March 2016 regional meetings will take place at the following locations:
Mallory Moler of Share Our Strength and Matt Hood of The Habit Burger Grill with Anahid Brakke
On December 21, hundreds of allies in the fight against hunger joined us for a delicious lunch from The Habit Burger Grill Catering Truck at the San Diego Quartyard. The Habit Burger served its $5 Charburger Combo with 100 percent of proceeds going to the San Diego Hunger Coalition. The Habit Burger Grill also presented Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry with a $200,000 check from funds raised from guest donations in September.
Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry is a national campaign to end child hunger in America. As its local partner, San Diego Hunger Coalition advances Share Our Strength’s priorities in San Diego County by improving school breakfast programs and expanding access to summer meals. "We look to Share Our Strength for the latest information on what is working well in other communities," said Anahid Brakke. "With generous partners like The Habit Burger Grill to support this work, we can make sure that no kids in San Diego have to go to bed hungry."
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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:
The CalFresh Task Force will finalize 2016 goals in January regional meetings.
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:
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:
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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:
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.
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
We fight hunger in San Diego county. Stats on hunger say that an estimated 476,000 San Diegans are food insecure. Hunger affects children, veterans, senior citizens, and many others.
San Diego Hunger Coalition leads collaborative action to end hunger supported by research, education, and advocacy.
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San Diego Hunger Coalition | 845 15th Street, Ste 103, San Diego, CA 92101 | (619) 501-7917 | info@sdhunger.org | Copyright 2022
