This week is Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week across the nation.
Father Joe's Villages and Mission Federal Credit Union are partnering this week to bring awareness to these pressing issues, especially in San Diego.
“It’s an opportunity to bring in the community and raise the awareness and suggest how they can get involved in this critical issue because food insecurity in our community here and across the nation is very very severe,” said Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO of Father Joe’s Village on the importance of this week.
Food insecurity affects people throughout San Diego County, he said.
“One out of three here in San Diego, one out of three have some level of nutritional insecurity across the board, and that two children out of five have a level of nutritional insecurity,” Vargas said.
To kick off the week, the organizations want to educate the public about how hunger and homelessness impacts San Diegans.
Mission Fed also donated $25,000 as a match challenge to the community to donate to Father Joe’s Villages.
“There’s something happening every single day, from advocacy to activation to donation to education,” said Neville Billimoria, Mission Fed's senior vice president of membership, marketing and community relations. “It’s like a lot of alliteration, but all in service and participation is really important to us.”
On Monday, Mission Fed employees donated their time to help assemble about 200 meal boxes for those in need.
“They start with all the fresh food that could be perishable and then they backfill that with everything else that they think would make a well-rounded meal to drop off for folks,” Billimoria said.
Along with food insecurity, about 7,600 people experience homelessness every night in San Diego.
“The Mahatma Gandhi quote, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world,’" Billimoria said. "Before you can be the change you want to see in the world, you’ve got to see the change you want to be in the world and here’s our chance to give people the chance to see themselves as supporters of this cause.”
To learn more about how you can help during Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week go to my.neighbor.org.
