Feeding San Diego is one of the county’s main hunger-relief organizations and a leader in food rescue, recovering edible food that would otherwise go to waste and routing it to people who need it. Founded in 2007, it reaches roughly 370,000 people a month through a network of more than 200 community partners across a county of about 3.3 million. Bob Kamensky serves as CEO. It is a member of the Feeding America national network.
Feeding San Diego built its model around food rescue. Rather than relying mainly on purchased and government commodities, it recovers surplus food from grocers, distributors, farms, and restaurants, then moves it quickly to more than 200 partner agencies before it spoils. That keeps usable food out of landfills and turns it into meals, which is both an environmental and a hunger-relief win.
On top of the partner network, it runs distributions aimed at specific groups, including students, military and veteran families, and seniors.
Bob Kamensky serves as CEO, leading an organization that has grown into one of the larger Feeding America members in Southern California since its 2007 founding. The food-rescue focus shapes its operations: logistics and speed matter more here than warehouse storage alone, because rescued food has to move fast.
The service area is San Diego County, home to about 3.3 million people, with a large military and veteran population. Border-region demographics and high housing costs both feed local food insecurity. Feeding San Diego runs targeted programs for groups that standard pantry distribution can miss, including service members’ families.
Yes. Feeding San Diego is a registered 501(c)(3) and a Feeding America member. Its food-rescue model is efficient by design, converting donated surplus into meals at low cost. Donors who want their giving to double as waste reduction find it a natural fit.
Donations and volunteer shifts run through feedingsandiego.org. Volunteers sort rescued food and help at distributions, and because so much of the supply is donated surplus, financial gifts go a long way.
Within San Diego County, Feeding San Diego is one of two major hunger-relief organizations, distinguished by its food-rescue emphasis. Across the state it sits alongside the LA Regional Food Bank and the SF-Marin Food Bank. For donors who care about both hunger and food waste, its model stands out.
Recovers surplus food from grocers, farms, and restaurants and redistributes it fast.
200+ community agencies receive rescued and sourced food.
Distributions aimed at service members’ families in a county with a large military presence.
Food for kids and college students facing food insecurity.
Sources: Feeding San Diego website (feedingsandiego.org), Charity Navigator (EIN 26-0457477), and the organization’s published founding date and service figures. We are not affiliated with Feeding San Diego and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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