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Feeding San Diego prepares for the holidays, while providing relief to families facing food insecurity

Over 2,000 people continue to line up each month in the South Bay at a food distribution site in Chula Vista.

SAN DIEGO — With the holidays coming up, Feeding San Diego is working to provide relief to families experiencing food insecurity, while facing challenges of it’s own.

"Families are making hard choices, it’s impossible to afford everything right now for some families based on the cost of living here." said Carissa Casares, with Feeding San Diego.

Casares with the nonprofit says, the high cost of living and inflation is fueling the current demand for resources.

"Rents are being increased all over and then food, when you go to the grocery store the prices are just shocking. even for us here at feeding San Diego, purchasing has gotten so much more expensive," she added.

“I can see an increase of about 20-25% more than I’m spending on average," said Anthony Jessop, consumer.

Casares says the holidays brings on added demand and challenges, "this year we are having to buy more food simply because we have more people looking for that help."

She says the numbers prove how urgent the need is in some communities.

"So at the start of the pandemic, Feeding San Diego started drive-thru distributions, a lot of people might have seen them in those early days, you know, hundreds of cars waiting in line to receive food. Those are still happening," added Casares.

Over 2,000 people continue to line up each month in the South Bay at a food distribution site in Chula Vista.

"We have to pay more money on our end for inflation going up, plus we pay about $6 a gallon for gas so everything right now is getting a little too expensive," said Jessop.

Organizations like feeding San Diego relies on donations but Jessop says right now the current economy makes it hard to help others. 

The next food distribution is happening in El Cajon on Friday, October 28 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

You are required to pre-register but it is open to the public. To find out more, click here

WATCH RELATED: Feeding San Diego issues fundraising challenge to Philadelphia during NLCS (Oct. 2022).

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