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50% of area college students face food insecuritySource: Calif. Coast Credit Union and San Diego Food Bank
November 23, 2019 (San Diego) – The first-ever Pack the Pantry food drive to fight student hunger on local college campuses exceeded all expectations, raising enough food and financial donations to provide over 50,000 meals to area students. Results of the two-week food drive were announced on the San Diego Continuing Education campus.
California Coast Credit Union partnered with the San Diego Food Bank and local community colleges to launch the Pack the Pantry food drive, which ran from November 4th to November 18th. Food donation bins were placed at all Cal Coast branches and on all local community college campuses.
“These results for our first Pack the Pantry far exceeded anything we could have hoped for or expected,” said Rene McKee, Senior Vice President of Community & Public Relations at Cal Coast. “We are excited to see how the community came together for this cause, and we look forward to continuing the Pack the Pantry campaign with our partners in the years ahead.”
Research shows that around 50% of college students in San Diego face food insecurity, which means they don’t have reliable, consistent access to food. In response to the growing concern, virtually every local college has established a food pantry. “It’s a constant struggle to keep the food pantries fully stocked,” said Southwestern College Superintendent/President Dr. Kindred Murillo. “We recognize that it will take the entire community to help us in this fight against student hunger.”
Pack the Pantry benefits students facing food insecurity on all San Diego County community college campuses as well as Imperial Valley College in Imperial County and Mt. San Jacinto Community College in Riverside County.
About SDICCCA
The San Diego and Imperial Counties Community College Association is a collaboration between the six community college districts in the two-county area. Member institutions include Cuyamaca College, Grossmont College, Imperial Valley College, MiraCosta College, Palomar College, San Diego City College, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego Miramar College, San Diego Continuing Education, and Southwestern College.
About the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank & North County Food Bank
Established in 1977, the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and its North County Food Bank chapter are a critical component to the welfare of San Diego County, providing food to people in need, advocating for the hungry and educating the public about hunger-related issues. Through a combination of programs and partnerships with 500 San Diego County nonprofit charities, the Food Bank acts as a central repository and distribution point for donated food. The Food Bank distributed 32 million pounds of food in the Financial Year 2018 - 2019 to individuals, families and a network of nonprofit organizations that work to alleviate hunger throughout the county. Learn more at: SanDiegoFoodBank.org and NorthCountyFoodBank.org
About California Coast Credit Union
Established by San Diego teachers in 1929, California Coast Credit Union is the longest-serving financial institution based in San Diego and holds true to its founders’ guiding principle of “people helping people.” With over $2.5 billion in assets, the credit union proudly serves more than 185,000 members through its local network of 25 branches and 60 shared branch locations, online and mobile banking, and 30,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide. California Coast is not-for-profit, provides no-cost financial education for adults and youth, and is committed to improving the lives of its members and others in the community. Membership is open to anyone who lives or works in San Diego or Riverside counties. For more information visit www.calcoastcu.org or call (877) 495-1600.
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