SAN DIEGO — On the evening of Thanksgiving, many families join together in the homes of loved ones to enjoy a delicious meal and take turns saying what they are most thankful for. Imagine if you didn’t have a warm home to spend the evening in. Imagine if you hadn’t eaten in days. Would the Thanksgiving holiday still have the same meaning?
For a hungry neighbor, a healthy meal can be the difference between merely surviving and truly thriving. That’s why Father Joe’s Villages’ annual Thanksgiving Day 5K is imperative to ensuring that those most vulnerable in the community have access to life-saving meals.
The lingering effects of COVID-19 are still being felt across the country. The pandemic has caused food insecurity for thousands of men, women and children to rise dramatically in just two years. According to the San Diego Hunger Coalition, over one million people in San Diego County are at risk of experiencing hunger, including over 280,000 children.
Numerous studies have found that lack of food is associated with significantly greater odds of hospitalization, higher utilization rates of emergency services and an increased risk of health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Access to even just one meal a day can drastically reduce the likelihood of short- and long-term health problems caused by lack of nutrition or even starvation.
To combat food insecurity in San Diego, Father Joe’s Villages’ Food Services program serves hot, nourishing meals 365 days a year to residents living in their shelter and to community members in need through the Franklin Antonio Public Lunch Line. Each meal served through the Food Services program is designed to ensure neighbors get their daily helping of vegetables, protein, and whole grains.
With 1 in 3 neighbors facing food insecurity, Father Joe’s Villages Food Services program is a critical lifeline for neighbors experiencing homelessness. Each year, the Food Services program at Father Joe’s Villages works to serve more than 1 million meals to people in need living in San Diego.
In 2020 alone, Father Joe's Villages provided meals to more than 9,200 people in the community struggling with poverty and homelessness. These meals provide more than just a basic means of survival. Access to nutritious meals can enable neighbors to focus less on hunger and more on creating a better life.
Father Joe’s Villages strives to bring back meaning not just to Thanksgiving, but to each day for thousands of homeless neighbors in need. That’s why, Father Joe’s Villages’ Thanksgiving Day 5K is imperative to ensuring hungry San Diegans can continue to receive the sustenance they need every day of the year. The Thanksgiving Day 5K helps fund these nourishing meals for those most vulnerable in the community.
The Thanksgiving Day 5K is not only a fun run/walk around scenic Balboa Park on Thanksgiving morning, but also a meaningful way to give back. It generates awareness and funds to help support Father Joe’s Villages’ efforts to provide and serve close to one million meals each year.
Proceeds from the Thanksgiving Day 5K go toward Father Joe’s Villages Food Services program, so they can continue feeding those in need.
Register online for the Thanksgiving Day 5K to support meals for your neighbors who need it most at ThanksgivingRun.org.
