The San Diego Food Bank and our North County Food Bank chapter held our annual Food Drive Recognition Ceremony last month. Now in its fourth year, this year’s ceremony was a drive-thru event to adhere to the current COVID-19 safety guidelines. The ceremony recognized businesses, organizations, and community groups that hosted food drives throughout the county last year providing much-needed food for families impacted by the pandemic. Collectively, last year’s food drives raised more than two million pounds of food.
The Food Bank received more than two million pounds of shelf-stable food items last year through community food drives – James Floros, CEO
Donations of physical food items allow the Food Bank to keep food purchasing costs low and to keep allocated funds in other vital services and programs. When the pandemic hit the San Diego region, physical food donations plummeted due to the stay-at-home order. The Food Bank purchases about $1 million worth of food on the wholesale food market in a typical year. Due to the increase in demand for food assistance, just in the past 11-month period, the Food Bank has purchased $11 million worth of food, and the Food Bank sees no end to the demand anytime soon. The Food Bank is now preparing to enter Phase 4 of its COVID-19 Response.
With the challenges of 2020, the 2021 Food Drive Recognition Ceremony is truly a special event worthy of celebrating and recognizing our honorees as true heroes in the community. Honorees were welcomed by cheering Food Bank staff, received a plaque to commemorate their contribution to fighting hunger in San Diego, and had a photo opportunity with our CEO, James Floros. The 48 honorees included food drives from all corners of San Diego County, from the City of Vista to local neighborhood food drives like the Talmadge Food Drive. Thank you to the following honorees that stepped up to fight hunger in San Diego County:
| Business Partner Award 2021 Awardees: MaryBeth Brown-Kennett Greystar Development & Construction The Houston Team |
| School Partner Award 2021 Awardees: High Tech High North County Marvin Elementary School Mission Estancia Elementary School |
| Innovative Partner Award 2021 Awardees: City of Vista Punk Rock Food Drive San Diego Air Cooled |
| Neighborhood Food Drive Award 2021 Awardees: Bay Park Food Drive Heart to Hands Food Drive Talmadge Food Drive |
| Top Newcomer Award 2021 Awardees: ASML Bird Rock Coffee Roasters St. Patrick’s Catholic Church |
| Virtual Food Drive Award 2021 Awardees: Cooley LLP Fish & Richardson Heron Therapeutics Mirati Therapeutics Inc. SDCCU Holiday Bowl |
| Harvesting Hope Food Drive Award 2021 Awardees: Stater Bros. Markets KUSI |
| Stuff the Bus Food Drive Award 2021 Awardees: Albertsons Vons Girl Scouts San Diego Metropolitan Transit System North County Transit District |
| Scouting for Food Award 2021 Awardee: Boy Scouts of America San Diego-Imperial Council |
| Neighbors Helping Neighbors Award 2021 Awardees: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Ideal Plumbing and Heating |
| Summer Food Drive Award 2021 Awardees: Albertsons Vons San Diego Gas & Electric KFMB-TV 103.7 KSON KYXY 96.5 ALY 94.9 The San Diego Union-Tribune Wells Fargo |
| Holiday Food Drive Award 2021 Awardees: Albertsons Vons Bank of America First 5 San Diego San Diego County Toyota Dealers Sycuan Wawanesa Insurance FOX 5 San Diego iHeart Media San Diego COX Media The San Diego Union-Tribune |
The Food Bank has almost doubled its service population since mid-March. Before the pandemic, the Food Bank was serving 350,000 people, almost a year later and the Food Bank now is feeding nearly 600,000 people per month. To host a food drive CLICK HERE and to learn more about our Virtual Food Drives, CLICK HERE.