SAN DIEGO — San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Chula Vista Mayor Mary Salas and Escondido Mayor Paul McNamara, representing central, southern and northern San Diego County, held a news conference Thursday to kick off the San Diego Food Bank's countywide "Super Pantry Program."
James A. Floros, President & CEO of the San Diego Food Bank and its North County Food Bank chapter said the Food Bank’s “Super Pantry Program” will help meet the skyrocketing demand for food assistance from tens of thousands of families impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The event concluded with a drive-thru check presentation ceremony announcing the 35 nonprofits selected by the Food Bank to become "Super Pantries" and each receiving a $20,000 capacity grant check.
“Those grants are going toward items like refrigeration units, pallet jacks and storage units. Short term it helps us serve the community through the COVID-19 crisis but when the COVID crisis has passed, we’ve rebuilt and improved on our distribution model. So this has long-term benefits to our community,” Floros said.
The “Super Pantries” will be open throughout the week in order to reduce food lines, shorten wait times, and provide contactless distributions in drive-thru lanes and at walk-up kiosks.
Floros said the new $1 million "Super Pantry Program," made possible by donors to the food bank’s COVID-19 Response Fund, will strengthen the food bank’s safety net programs, ahead of further potential spikes in demand in the fall.
Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic in mid-March, the San Diego Food Bank and its North County Food Bank chapter have distributed more than 11 million pounds of food to an estimated 600,000 people in communities throughout San Diego County.
These distribution sites will go live starting on July 1, below is a complete list of the Super Pantries' locations across San Diego County:
NORTH:
- Buckheart Ranch, Escondido
- Interfaith Community Services, Escondido
- Miniesterio Tiempo Nuevo, Escondido
- San Diego Christian Center, Escondido
- Fallbrook Food Pantry, Fallbrook
- Brother Benno Foundation, Oceanside
- Mission San Luis Ray Parish, Oceanside
- San Marcos Adventist Church, San Marcos
- Summit Church, San Marcos
- North County Food Bank, Vista
CENTRAL:
- Ascension Lutheran Church, San Diego
- Father Joe's Village, San Diego
- Jewish Family Services, San Diego
- Old Town Community Church, San Diego
- La Maestra, San Diego
- Paving Great Futures, San Diego
- St. Paul United Methodist Church, San Diego
- Somali Bantu Association, San Diego
- Special Delivery San Diego, San Diego
- Uptown Community Service & St. Luke's Episcopal Church, San Diego
- USO San Diego, San Diego
SOUTH:
- Community Through Hope, Chula Vista
- Operation Promise, Chula Vista
- South Bay Pentecostal, Chula Vista
- Project 1:1 & Murphy's Produce with a Purpose, National City
- San Diego Rescue Mission, National City
- Hearts & Hands Working Together, San Ysidro
- St. Vincent de Paul Our Lady Mount Carmel, San Ysidro
EAST:
- Salvation Army, El Cajon
- North Park Apostolic Church, Lemon Grove
- Samoa Independent, Lemon Grove
- Community Food Connection, Poway
- Santee Food Bank, Santee
- Heaven's Window, Spring Valley
- Stepping Higher, Spring Valley