By Gina Yarbrough
San Diego, CA–United Way of San Diego County is kicking off the holiday season with a collection of new crockpots to support local families facing food insecurity during the holidays.
The nonprofit organization will collect funds through Nov. 14 to purchase the crockpots that will be distributed to families before Thanksgiving Day.
According to the San Diego Hunger Coalition, 1 in 4 San Diegans are nutrition insecure and cannot provide three nutritious meals for themselves or their family per day. While this estimate is down from last year, it is still an increase from pre-pandemic years.
In San Diego County, populations that are nutrition insecure include 35% child population, 39% of Hispanic/Latino, 37% of African American, and 28% of the total San Diego population, United Way of San Diego stated in a news release.
Inflation combined with the high cost of living in San Diego County has forced families to rely on hunger relief assistance from organizations.
“The holiday season is here, and for many families, it is a time to bring the family together around a dinner table full of food. However, many families in our community can’t afford this experience,” says Nancy Sasaki, President and CEO, of United Way of San Diego County. “The price of gas and groceries continue to increase due to inflation, and putting food on the table requires much planning and budgeting. We’re excited to support families in need, and gifting a cooking tool like a crockpot will help parents and guardians have dinner ready when they come home from work, giving them more time to spend with their children and peace of mind.”
A crockpot can provide a warm meal in transitioning housing situations, lower the cost per meal for a family to stretch their dollars, make meal preparation quick and easy when working multiple jobs, teach children how to cook safely, cook larger quantities of food, creating additional meals, prepare nutritious meals at home, and provide a variety of meals using SNAP-approved ingredients.
A donation of $50 will help United Way of San Diego provide a San Diego family with one crockpot and some pantry staples to help make a holiday meal.
Anyone interested in donating a new unused crockpot can drop it off at United Way of San Diego County’s front desk at 4699 Murphy Canyon Road in San Diego between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 8.
For more information on United Way of San Diego’s annual “Holiday Crockpot Drive” and ways to give back to the nonprofit, visit uwsd.org.
