SAN DIEGO — September is Hunger Action Month. While hunger cannot always be easy to recognize, it is all around us. Of San Diego County’s 3.2 million residents, 450,000 people face food insecurity each day. The term “food insecurity” means that little or no food is available at home. In fact, according to the San Diego Hunger Coalition, one out of every five children in San Diego don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Stacey McDaniel, the Anti-Hunger Initiatives Specialist for YMCA, joins our Laura Cavanaugh to share important information about child hunger and initiatives designed to help kids grow, learn and thrive.
“We think every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. But we know when kids are hungry, they can’t focus. They’re distracted. They can’t do as well in school, have more behavior problems,” said McDaniel.
Children need sufficient daily nutrition to reach their full potential. California is the first state in the country to implement a statewide universal meals program. Regardless of income, K-12 students are eligible for breakfast and lunch at no cost this school year. The California Universal Meals Program is a huge win to have healthy, free meals for students.
The YMCA helps to shore up the food ecosystem, partnering with organizations and non-profits to fill the gaps to provide nutrition and food distribution programs during non-school hours.
“We can’t show up with our best self when we’re hungry and neither can our kids,” said McDaniel.
Copley-Price Family YMCA is partnering with Feeding San Diego and Murphy’s Produce to provide supplemental nutrition for local kids and families.
The Murphy’s Produce with Purpose event happens every third Saturday of the month at the Copley-Price Family YMCA, with the next food distribution coming up on September 17 from 10am – 12pm.
The Feeding San Diego food distribution is on every third Tuesday of the Month at the Copley-Price Family YMCA, with the next event coming up on September 20 from 3-5pm.
For more information on the Y’s programs and how YMCA is helping to set children up to succeed, visit www.ymca.org/findyoury
Sponsored by: YMCA