Jewish Family Service of San Diego announced Friday that it received a $100,000 grant from the S. Mark Taper Foundation to support its nutritious food programs.
The grant will fund the organization’s Hand Up food pantry and its FoodMobile program, which combine to provide thousands of meals each year to residents facing food insecurity. According to the organization, one in every six San Diego residents and one in every five children in San Diego deal with food insecurity and hunger.
“Jewish Family Service of San Diego is doing crucial work by providing necessities to those who need it most,” said Adrienne Wittenberg, executive director of the S. Mark Taper Foundation. “We stand by Jewish Family Service of San Diego’s mission to empower individuals and families to move forward to self-sufficiency.”
The pantry provides food, including fresh produce, to more than 2,000 residents each year, according to the organization. Residents have collected roughly 88,000 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables from the pantry since 2017. The FoodMobile delivers hot meals to San Diego’s homebound seniors as well as young adults with disabilities.
Jewish Family Service serves more than 20,000 local residents each year through its programs.
“Our commitment to enhancing the quality of people’s lives in the San Diego community is strongly aligned with the goals of the S. Mark Taper Foundation,” said JFS CEO Michael Hopkins. “We are grateful for their generous support and we look forward to using these grant funds to help the struggling families and individuals in need.”
–City News Service
