SAN DIEGO–Mama’s Kitchen has announced its completion of its $25,000 Matching Challenge in collaboration with Sycuan Casino Resort. 

The grant benefits Mama’s Kitchen’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to support its increased demand for nutritional meals for critically ill individuals.

After learning of the 63% increase in demand Mama’s Kitchen had for its nutrition programs as a result of the pandemic, Sycuan Casino Resort, a longtime supporter of the organization, announced they would match dollar-for-dollar, up to $25,000, all donations from July 1 through August 31. 

During this challenge, the organization saw support from new and existing donors, including individuals, local foundations, and corporations who helped donate and spread the word to help Mama’s Kitchen meet its goal by the August 31 deadline, unlocking the $25,000 grant from Sycuan Casino Resort and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. Sycuan Casino Resort has been a dedicated supporter of Mama’s Kitchen for over 20 years.

Mama’s Kitchen has now served 345,000 meals to more than 1,250 critically ill clients since the beginning of the pandemic, with 784 of them being new clients. This is a drastic comparison to the last fiscal year, when the organization served just over 368,000 meals in a full 12 months.