As San Diego kids gear up for the school year, many will take part in familiar rituals like choosing the perfect backpack, organizing their notebooks and pens, and picking out first-day outfits to impress their friends. But for thousands of local families, even those basics are out of reach. The community, especially local organizations, plays a key role in helping kids start school with a sense of pride and possibility.
And the support doesn’t stop there. Nonprofits across San Diego provide year-round academic support, mentorship, and essential resources that give students the critical tools and resources they need long after the bell rings on the first day of school.
In many underserved communities, preparing for a new school year isn’t as simple as checking off a supply list. For families already stretched thin, the cost of backpacks, clothing, and materials can be an added burden. Add to the everyday realities many families face: unstable home situations, single parents juggling work and family to make ends meet, and the monthly stress of figuring out how to pay the rent.
Charitable groups help provide a lifeline when family resources fall short, not just to fill gaps, but to help students show up feeling prepared, supported, and valued. Their work continues year-round, helping young people stay focused, hopeful, and on track long after the first day of school.
As part of a quarterly effort, a group of San Diego nonprofits have been selected to receive support through the Target Circle community giving program, an initiative that allows guests to help direct the company’s local giving. What makes it especially meaningful is that the featured nonprofits are nominated by Target’s San Diego-based team members.
These are people who live here, raise families here, and often volunteer with the very organizations they’ve chosen to uplift. Through Sept. 30, San Diegans are encouraged to be a part of the process and vote on which group will receive the largest share, but all participating nonprofits receive funding.
This year’s recipients include Reality Changers, which prepares first-generation students for college; Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County, which offers one-to-one mentorships with youth; the Assistance League of Rancho San Dieguito, which provides clothing and essentials to students in need; and WILDCOAST, which engages middle and high schoolers in coastal science and conservation among other programs.
These groups don’t just show up when school starts. They’re present every day, helping kids access what they need, stay connected, and step into new possibilities.
Our Target team has already seen what this kind of sustained support can accomplish. Voices for Children received funding through a previous cycle of the program. Their leadership acknowledged how they were able to reach more youth in foster care when backed by trained, dedicated adult advocates who stand beside children in court, in school, and at home.
The Search Dog Foundation also credited the program with helping train highly skilled rescue teams, including those based here in San Diego. These teams have responded to cliff collapses, structural emergencies, and other local crises where every second matters. What these stories reflect isn’t a one-time campaign; it’s what’s possible when a community listens, gets involved, and invests in each other year after year.
Since the Target Circle program began, nonprofits across San Diego County have received local support driven by San Diegans who champion organizations making a difference in their neighborhoods. It’s also one of the easiest ways for San Diegans to make an impact close to home.
Many worthy local nonprofits are stepping up in quiet, consistent ways. They don’t always ask for big dollar amounts or get their names in the headlines, but they give a lot in time, care, and results. Whether it’s serving as role models for students, delivering school essentials, protecting our environment, or standing by a child in crisis, this kind of work builds legacies.
What happens this back-to-school season matters. But it’s the choices we make the rest of the year, including showing up, donating money or resources, or volunteering, that really shape what’s possible when neighbors come together.
Susan L. Citizen is senior store director for Target in San Diego.
