San Diego County

More Than a Quarter of San Diegans Are Going Hungry: Report

According to the San Diego Hunger Coalition report, some communities are impacted more than others: 39% of Hispanic people, 37% of Black people and 29% of Native Americans in the county are experiencing food insecurity.

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According to a report by the San Diego Hunger Coalition, 28% of San Diego County residents, approximately 905,000 people, face nutrition insecurity.

The primary reason for food insecurity is low-wage jobs according to the report, which goes on to say that the $15 minimum wage does not equate to a livable wage.  

The current level of nutrition insecurity is down from the pandemic high of 30% but remains higher than the pre-pandemic low of 25%.

The San Diego Food Bank is helping people bridge the gap by providing meals to San Diegans in need.

β€œWe are currently serving 400,000m so that gives you an idea of how much more we need to do,” San Diego Food Bank CEO Casey Castillo said.

Many of the people being served by the San Diego Food Bank are families.

β€œA lot of the population we serve are familiesn and so these families are using Cal Fresh β€” also known as food stamps β€” to help, and there were additional benefits during the pandemic,” Castillo said.

Some of the food assistance recipients are recent college graduates.

β€œI just graduated from UCSD, and I just got a job, so moving out and being able to get my own place, having to sort out finances and all that stuff, it doesn’t add up,” Lucia Chea said. "When you want to have, like, lunch or you want to eat the way you think or need to eat, because after you pay all the bills, it comes down to how much you can budget, and that’s where the food bank comes in."

Some people think nutrition insecurity will increase in the upcoming years.

β€œPre-COVID, we were serving 350,000 people during the height of the pandemic," Castillo said. "That rose to 600,000, and over the last year and a half to two years, we served about a half a million per month. That has decreased slightly to 400,000, but one of the things we fear is a potential recession that’s coming and what people call the federal cliff, where some of these pandemic benefits may be terminated in 2023."

According to the San Diego Hunger Coalition report, some communities are impacted more than others: 39% of Hispanic people, 37% of Black people 29% of Native Americans, and 20% of Asian people in the county are experiencing food insecurity.

Those numbers are well above the 18% of White people who are facing food insecurity.

Local food pantries and the San Diego Food Bank try to help provide more access to food by working with various groups across the county. Officials with the Food Bank believe it can provide 600,000 meals per month again if needed in the future.

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