Sponsored content provided by Feeding San Diego
For 15 years, Feeding San Diego has been on a mission to end hunger through food rescue. The local non-profit is the only Feeding America affiliate in the region, and through its strong network of partners has distributed over 300 million meals in San Diego County since it was founded in 2007. Feeding San Diego’s operational model is unique, relying heavily on food rescue to provide nutritious meals to San Diegans facing hunger. Thanks to relationships with local and national food donors, including major grocery stores and food manufacturers, over 70% of the food Feeding San Diego distributes is rescued, helping both people and the planet by keeping good food out of landfills.
Feeding San Diego
The hunger relief organization has been fortunate to work with many chefs over the years to bring awareness to its mission. Anthony Wells, James Beard-nominated executive chef of Juniper & Ivy, and Travis Swikard, chef/owner of San Diego Magazine’s Best Restaurant Pick Callie, have joined as ambassadors to raise awareness about the mission to end hunger through food rescue. Both chefs have lent their voices to a new video asking San Diegans who have $15 a month to become monthly donors. That amount can provide a meal a day for a San Diegan in need for a whole month, all year long. These donors become part of the organization’s Feed 365 community of monthly donors and help sustain Feeding San Diego’s critical hunger relief programs.
Juniper & Ivy Team Volunteering
“When we found out how many San Diegans were facing the need of hunger it just really resonated with us, considering what we do for a living is feed people,” explains Wells. When people leave our restaurant typically, they leave full. Understanding that there’s people out there that are much less fortunate than us, we just felt the need to make a stand and help out in any way we could.”
Feeding San Diego
Both chefs are not only calling for monetary support, they’re also showing up for their community as volunteers at Feeding San Diego’s volunteer center in Sorrento Valley.
Feeding San Diego has volunteer shifts six days a week, Monday through Saturday, four shifts every day. Volunteers provide hands on support to glean, sort, and pack the food that goes out to people in need.
“Me being not just an owner and a chef but a husband and a father I can’t imagine seeing kids that are hungry. That was like, what hit me emotionally. I can’t imagine my kids not having a snack in their backpack or getting through the weekend,” says Swikard. “If everyone pitches in and helps out, people that have .50 cents a day, we can actually create a meal for someone to consume and sustain them for a day, that’s huge.”
Travis Swilkard
As we continue to see food prices, gas prices and cost of living skyrocket, we need to come together now more than ever to support our community. No one should go hungry and we have the ability to help those that need us most right now. Chefs Anthony and Travis are just two examples of how every person can make an impact that could change someone’s life forever.
