The San Diego Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief organization in San Diego County, distributing over 50 million pounds of food annually to about 400,000 people each month through 450+ nonprofit partners.
After a delicious lunch at a local Thai eatery, our club visited our field trip location - the San Diego Jacobs and Cushman Food Bank. Welcomed by friendly staff, we learned the food bank is the largest hunger-relief organization in San Diego County, distributing over 50 million pounds of food annually to about 400,000 people each month through 450+ nonprofit partners. Their food comes from government programs, grocery recovery, food drives, farm purchases, and direct donations. They are able to provide packaged and canned food as well as fresh fruits, vegetables and fresh bread daily. Recent demand has increased substantially, but they are meeting the need despite reduced federal funding thanks to generous donations.
The Food Bank is well organized and quite frugal with 93 cents of every dollar going directly to food relief efforts thanks to their 15,000 volunteers. Besides regular neighborhood distributions, they offer other creative programs like Food 4 Kids Backpacks, Client Choice Centers, Emergency Assistance, and a Diaper Bank.
Guides Mike and Kayla showed us eco-friendly, energy efficient innovations such as rapid-closing freezer doors, ice blocks for nighttime cooling, skylights for natural lighting, and passive ventilation with fans and screen doors. To reduce food waste, donated goods are sorted quickly; fresh items are distributed, less suitable produce goes to pig farms, and inedible food is composted via an aerobic digester that produces free compost for local farms. The digester can process 10 tons of food per week, creating regular compost free to local farms.
Bulk foods (oats, rice, beans) are mechanically repackaged and clearly labeled for optimal distribution and use.
Overall, the visit offered insight into how the food bank supports the community while efficiently minimizing energy use and waste. Thanks to our informative guides for an entertaining and educational afternoon.