Prebys Foundation announces $3M emergency donation to help feed San Diegans in need
The Prebys Foundation, in partnership with Feeding San Diego and the San Diego Food Bank, announced a $3 million emergency funding donation to protect and strengthen the region’s food security network. This comes amid historic federal cuts that threaten access to food assistance for hundreds of thousands of San Diegans.
Prebys Foundation CEO Grant Oliphant made the announcement Thursday at FoodShed Cooperative in City Heights.
“When our community safety nets start to fray, as they are now, we must act quickly and strategically,” Oliphant said. “Preventing hunger among our fellow San Diegans should be non-negotiable, along with sustaining a robust local network of food suppliers and farmers who can keep our neighbors from falling into hunger and malnutrition.”
With the region’s food security network facing a crisis of not being able to feed those in need, a grand gesture was needed, and it was delivered.
“In this moment, we are going to say not here, not in our community. We will not let our neighbors go hungry,” Oliphant said.
The San Diego Food Bank will receive $1.5 million, and $1.5 million will be donated to Feeding San Diego. Each $1.5 million will help expand emergency food distribution, support local farmers and ensure equitable access to nutritious foods as federal funds diminish.
“Our community is very rural, and there are many of us relying on this food,” said Deborah Gonzales, volunteer site leader at Feeding San Diego’s Mobile Pantry in Boulevard. “This is a community where kids really do go to bed hungry. Food distribution day is my favorite day and has made the struggle a lot less. The fresh produce in particular is amazing and something we would not otherwise have access to.”
The grants are part of United San Diego, a joint philanthropic initiative by Prebys Foundation, Price Philanthropies and San Diego Foundation, created to support local communities impacted by cuts to federal programs that provide housing, food and health care.
This past Monday, Gonzales faced her first day at the food pantry with no boxes of fruits and vegetables to hand out.
“First, I panicked,” Gonzales said. “There are children that go to bed hungry out there in Boulevard. To not be able to have those boxes accessible anymore, it created a lot of panic, it was hard to accept.”
On Thursday, Gonzales was emotional in thinking about what this $3 million donation means. When asked if this donation will save lives, she said, “Yes, it will.”
“It’s incredible. It’s a miracle. Amen,” she said. “I cant wait to get back and let everybody know.”
Those making the donation are calling on individual donors, philanthropic partners and companies to join this coordinated donation effort to help ensure critical resources remain available for San Diegans as federal disruptions persist.
