San Diego Hunger Coalition

SAN DIEGO HUNGER COALITION (SDHC) LEADS COORDINATED ACTION TO END HUNGER IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY SUPPORTED BY RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY. OUR VISION IS THAT EVERYONE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY HAS ENOUGH FOOD FOR AN ACTIVE, HEALTHY LIFE. THROUGH ITS ROLE AS A BACKBONE ORGANIZATION AND THE ONLY ORGANIZATION FOCUSED ON THE ENTIRE HUNGER RELIEF SYSTEM IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, SDHC PROVIDES: LEADERSHIP AND RESEARCH TO HELP GUIDE THE SECTORS STRATEGIES, COMMUNICATIONS AND ADVOCACY TO BUILD A MORE EQUITABLE, INTERECONNECTED AND EFFECTIVE SAFETY NET OF FOOD ASSISTANCE RESOURCES;TRAINING AND HANDS-ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, SCHOOLS, HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION IN CALFRESH (SNAP) AND FEDERAL CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS, BRINGING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF ADDITIONAL DOLLARS FOR FOOD ASSISTANCE TO SAN DIEGO COUNTY EACH YEAR; EDUCATION FOR POLICY MAKERS AND THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE ROOT CAUSES OF HUNGER AND MOST PROMISING DATA-INFORMED AND

CALFRESH: IN 2021, SDHC'S RESEARCH INDICATED MORE THAN 1,000,000 PEOPLE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY WERE NUTRITION INSECURE. CALFRESH (AKA SNAP OR FOOD STAMPS) IS OUR NATION'S MOST EFFECTIVE SOLUTION TO HUNGER. IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, MOST CALFRESH RECIPIENTS ARE CHILDREN (44%), SENIORS, AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. HOWEVER, DUE PRIMARILY TO THE COMPLEX AND DIFFICULT APPLICATION PROCESS, ONLY 63% OF ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS ARE ENROLLED. SDHC MAKES IT EASIER TO GET CALFRESH BY WORKING CLOSELY WITH COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY, SDHCS CALFRESH TASK FORCE, AND COMMUNITY-BASED APPLICATION ASSISTORS TO IDENTIFY AND REMOVE BARRIERS TO ACCESS AT THE COUNTY, STATE AND FEDERAL LEVELS. 2021 ACTIVITIES: 1. MANAGED A STATE CALFRESH OUTREACH CONTRACT (THROUGH CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF FOOD BANKS) THAT PROVIDED FUNDING FOR 18 SUBCONTRACTING NONPROFITS TO ASSIST OVER 8,000 INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WITH CALFRESH APPLICATIONS, SEMI-ANNUAL REPORTS, OR ANNUAL REAPPLICATIONS TO RECEIVE OR MAINTAIN CALFRESH BENEFITS; 2. HELPED DRIVE THE LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION OF FEDERAL AND CA POLICIES EXPANDING CALFRESH ACCESS DURING COVID, IMPACTING MORE THAN 300,000 SAN DIEGANS AND HELPING MORE THAN 20,000 ADDITIONAL PEOPLE GET CALFRESH; 3. TRAINED 150 STAFF TO DO CALFRESH APPLICATION ASSISTANCE ACROSS 29 ORGANIZATIONS; 4. DEVELOPED INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS TO HELP SOCIALLY ISOLATED OLDER ADULTS ACCESS CALFRESH; 5. HOSTED MONTHLY VIRTUAL CALFRESH TASK FORCE MEETINGS IN FOUR DIFFERENT REGIONS ACROSS THE COUNTY; AND 6. ADVOCATED TO IMPROVE EQUITY IN COUNTY SERVICES THROUGH THE SDHC CEOS ROLE AS CHAIR OF THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGOS SOCIAL SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD, INCLUDING LEADING A ONE-YEAR PROCESS TO EVALUATE OUTREACH, ENROLLMENT AND ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.

HUNGER FREE KIDS: THE HUNGER FREE KIDS PROGRAM HELPED SCHOOL DISTRICTS PROVIDE MORE THAN 9 MILLION ADDITIONAL MEALS TO 137,595 STUDENTS, BRINGING MORE THAN $20 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO SCHOOL NUTRITION SERVICE DEPARTMENTS.UNIVERSAL FREE MEALS: ASSISTED VALLECITOS SCHOOL DISTRICT CONVERT TO CEP, ENSURING UNIVERSAL FREE MEALS TO 194 STUDENTS AFTER THE PANDEMIC. COLLABORATED WITH PARTNERS TO EXPAND THE MEALS COUNT TOOL AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO HELP MORE SCHOOLS PREPARE TO SUBMIT CEP APPLICATIONS IN 2022 TO HELP CALIFORNIA TRANSITION TO UNIVERSAL FREE MEALS FOR ALL KIDS.P-EBT: SDHC PROVIDES LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY TO ENSURE ALL ELIGIBLE FAMILIES RECEIVE THEIR PANDEMIC EBT BENEFITS. SDHC BROUGHT AN ADDITIONAL $8,085,000 OF P-EBT BENEFITS, OR 2.5 MILLION ADDITIONAL MEALS, TO SAN DIEGO FAMILIES THROUGH ADVOCACY WITH CA DEPT OF EDUCATION AND CA DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES AND DIRECT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS. SDHC WORKED CLOSELY WITH SAN DIEGO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION TO INCREASE P-EBT BENEFITS BY $55 (FROM $68 TO $123 PER STUDENT) FOR 49,000 STUDENTS FOR THE MONTHS OF FEBRUARY THROUGH APRIL BY IDENTIFYING, ALERTING, AND SUPPORTING INDIVIDUAL DISTRICTS TO SUBMIT THE NECESSARY SCHOOL CLOSURE DATA TO CDE. SDHC MANAGED 9 P-EBT SUBCONTRACTORS, PASSING THROUGH MORE THAN $82,000 TO THESE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS TO ANSWER FAMILIES' QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STATE'S NEW PANDEMIC EBT PROGRAM AND HELP THEM NAVIGATE THE PROCESS TO OBTAIN THEIR BENEFITS.AFTERSCHOOL SUPPER: SDHC HELPED 3 SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO RESTART THEIR AFTERSCHOOL SUPPER PROGRAMS DURING COVID, PROVIDING A THIRD MEAL EACH DAY FOR FAMILIES PICKING UP MEALS FOR THEIR STUDENTS. THE RESULT OF THESE EFFORTS WERE AN ADDITIONAL 772,463 MEALS PROVIDED TO STUDENTS IN ESCONDIDO AND SOUTH BAY COMMUNITIES.PANDEMIC SCHOOL MEAL SERVICES: SDHC WORKED WITH NINE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO IMPLEMENT NEW AND INNOVATIVE MEAL SERVICE MODELS DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC WHEN SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED AND PARENTS HAD TO PICK UP MEALS FROM SCHOOLS. INNOVATIONS THAT SDHC SCALED UP ACROSS THE COUNTY INCLUDED OFFERING MEAL KITS WITH FRESH FOOD TO BE PREPARED BY PARENTS, PROVIDING PARENTS WITH MULTIPLE DAYS' WORTH OF MEALS IN A SINGLE PICK UP, AND UPDATING MEAL PICK UP TIMES TO BE MORE CONVENIENT FOR PARENTS. SDHC WORKED CLOSELY WITH NATIONAL ORGANIZATION NO KID HUNGRY (NKH) WHICH PROVIDED FUNDING TO ADVANCE THE INNOVATIONS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. SDHC SELECTED THE DISTRICTS FOR NKH TO FUND AND ALSO PROVIDED HANDS-ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR NKH GRANTEES TO SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION.ONE PARTICULARLY UNIQUE INNOVATION SDHC INTRODUCED TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR SD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS SERVING GRAB AND GO MEALS DURING SCHOOL CLOSURES WAS THE ABILITY TO OFFER BULK MEALS INSTEAD OF ALL MEAL COMPONENTS BEING INDIVIDUALLY PACKAGED. SDHC SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED FOR THE NEW RULE AT FEDERAL LEVEL; PUSHED CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCTION TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO DISTRICTS ON NEW RULE; AND INTRODUCED AND SHEPHERDED ADOPTION OF THE PRACTICE BY 7 DISTRICTS THRU TRAININGS AND 1:1 TA. NEWLY APPROVED BY USDA, BULK MEALS ALLOWED DISTRICTS TO OVERCOME CATASTROPHIC SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES AND PROVIDE FAMILIES WITH HEALTHY, FRESH, OFTEN LOCALLY GROWN FOODS THAT COULD BE PREPARED FOR CHILDREN AT HOME. SEVEN SCHOOL DISTRICTS SAW BIG INCREASES IN MEAL PARTICIPATION FROM IMPLEMENTING THIS MODEL.

HUNGER FREE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM: BEGINNING IN JANUARY 2021, SDHC DEVELOPED A COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL (CAC) COMPRISED OF 3 ETHNIC COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND 6 RESIDENT LEADERS (2 RECRUITED BY EACH ORGANIZATION). THE CAC WORKED WITH THE HUNGER COALITION OVER FOUR MONTHS TO DEVELOP THE HUNGER FREE NAVIGATOR TRAINING. THE HUNGER COALITION USED GRANT FUNDING TO PAY THE RESIDENTS AND CBOS FOR THEIR TIME. THE CAC ALSO ADVISED ON COMMUNICATION MESSAGING AND MEDIUMS MOST EFFECTIVE AMONG IMMIGRANTS, REFUGEES AND OTHER HARD-TO-REACH POPULATIONS. THE HUNGER FREE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING AND TOOLS TO EQUIP RESIDENTS, NONPROFITS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO MORE EFFECTIVELY CONNECT PEOPLE TO FOOD ASSISTANCE. THE NAVIGATOR TRAINING PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF ALL AVAILABLE FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING ELIGIBILITY AND HOW TO ACCESS OR APPLY. NAVIGATOR TRAININGS WERE HELD VIRTUALLY IN 2021 DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. ADDITIONAL TAILORED TRAININGS WERE PROVIDED FOR DIFFERENT SECTORS (SUCH AS HOUSING) THAT PROVIDE DIRECT SERVICES TO LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE RECOGNITION AS CERTIFIED HUNGER FREE NAVIGATORS AND ARE PART OF A COUNTYWIDE NETWORK. THEY ARE REGULARLY UPDATED AND GIVEN RESOURCES THAT INCLUDE: QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER, UP-TO-DATE FOOD ASSISTANCE RESOURCE FLYER AVAILABLE IN 12 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES; AND ONLINE OUTREACH MATERIALS TO SHARE, INCLUDING SHORT VIDEOS AND SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHICS (AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH).SDHC EXPERIENCED HIGH DEMAND FOR THE NEW HUNGER FREE NAVIGATOR TRAINING IN 2021, AND THE TEAM HELD OVER 40 TRAININGS COUNTYWIDE. SDHC PROVIDED TAILORED TRAININGS UPON REQUEST FOR ORGANIZATIONS OR LARGE GROUPS (EG, HEAD START PROVIDERS AND THE SAN DIEGO REFUGEE COMMUNITIES COALITION), AND A TRAINING SPECIFICALLY FOR PANTRY PARTNERS OF THE SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK AND FEEDING SAN DIEGO AT THE FOOD BANKS REQUEST. SDHC UTILIZES PRE/POST AND SIX-MONTH-POST TESTS TO EVALUATE PARTICIPANT KNOWLEDGE, CONFIDENCE AND ABILITY IN CONNECTING PEOPLE TO RESOURCES. EARLY EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM DEMONSTRATED NAVIGATORS KNOWLEDGE OF FOOD ASSISTANCE AND CONFIDENCE IN REFERRING TO THESE PROGRAMS INCREASED OVERALL WITH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE BETWEEN THE PRE-TRAINING AND THE IMMEDIATE POST-TRAINING SURVEYS.HUNGER FREE SAN DIEGO ADVISORY BOARD & RESEARCHGUIDED BY AN ADVISORY BOARD OF MORE THAN 25 LEADERS REPRESENTING ALL ASPECTS OF HUNGER RELIEF IN SAN DEIGO COUNTY, HUNGER FREE SAN DIEGO IS A CROSS-SECTOR, COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVE LAUNCHED IN 2016 TO APPLY A DATA-INFORMED AND COMMUNITY-DRIVEN APPROACH TO ENDING HUNGER IN OUR REGION. ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS (AND OTHER HUNGER RELIEF PARTNERS) PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE DATA REPORTS TO THE HUNGER COALITION ON THE AMOUNT OF FOOD ASSISTANCE THEY PROVIDE EACH MONTH. THE HUNGER COALITION AGGREGATES THIS DATA, PROVIDES ANALYSIS AND ADDITIONAL RESEARCH ON NUTRITION INSECURITY, AND PRODUCES MAPS AND DATA TABLES WITH THE FOLLOWING ESTIMATES DOWN TO ZIP CODE LEVEL: NUMBER OF NUTRITION INSECURE INDIVIDUALS; NUMBER OF FOOD ASSISTANCE MEALS PROVIDED; THE CALFRESH (SNAP) PARTICIPATION RATE; AND THE MEAL GAP, WHICH IS THE NUMBER OF MISSING MEALS NEEDED FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY TO HAVE ACCESS TO THREE HEALTHY MEALS PER DAY. IN 2021, THE ADVISORY BOARD MET SIX TIMES TO: REVIEW ITS COLLECTIVE DATA AND REACH; LEAD NARRATIVE CHANGE TO SOLIDY THE SECTORS FOCUS ON EQUITABLE ACCESS TO FOOD ASSISTANCE; DEVELOP A DATA DASHBOARD; CONTRIBUTE TO THE HUNGER COALITIONS 2021 ISSUE BRIEF ON THE STATE OF NUTRITION INSECURITY IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY; AND TO HELP PLAN THE ANNUAL STATE OF HUNGER PROGRAM WHICH FEATURES A PANEL OF HFSD ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS EACH YEAR.