SAN DIEGO–Throughout the month of May, San Diego County restaurants are joining together to support the annual “Dollar-A-Dish” campaign benefiting the San Diego Food Bank’s Food 4 Kids Backpack Program. Participating restaurants select one best-selling, signature dish and donate $1 to the program every time that dish is sold.

The Food 4 Kids Backpack Program provides weekend backpacks filled with food to elementary school children living in poverty. Children on the program participate in the free school breakfast and lunch programs at their schools during the week, but face hunger over the weekend when free school meals are unavailable.

The program currently serves 1,630 children at 35 elementary schools in 11 school districts throughout San Diego County. Last year’s program raised more than $15,000 and took two elementary schools off the waiting list: Burbank Elementary School and Cesar Chavez Elementary School.

“We are very grateful to the restaurants who are supporting the program again this year through the ‘Dollar-A-Dish’ campaign,” said Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank CEO James Floros. “This fundraiser will help us feed more children this coming school year. The Food Bank provides critical support to so many elementary school children in San Diego County who would otherwise go hungry if we were not able to give them weekend backpacks full of food every Friday afternoon. We encourage patrons to order the nominated dishes at participating restaurants.”

The campaign will run May 1 to May 31. For more information, visit: http://sandiegofoodbank.org/dollar.