I Have Fruit Trees On My Property
Volunteer your surplus produce for gleaning!
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Save time picking and disposing of unwanted fruit.
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Reduce the nuisance of rotting fruit attracting rodents and insects.
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Or, pick your own surplus fruit and request a pickup or drop-off location to donate
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Did you know? You are protected from liability by the federal Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, and eligible for a tax deduction for the value of your charitable contribution.
Make A Donation Online Or Donate Jars Of Peanut Butter At A Participating Business/organization
There are two ways you can participate in the Scare Away Hunger Peanut Butter Drive.
1. Donate to a Virtual Food DriveYou can make a donation securely online through the Virtual Food Drive platform. Click on the one you wish to donate on behalf of to make a donation. On the Virtual Food Drive page, you will have the option to select peanut butter at checkout. Simply drag it across the screen to checkout and once you are done, you click the red checkout link to process the transaction securely online using a debit or credit card.
2. Drop Off Physical Donations of Peanut ButterIf you would prefer to make a physical donation of unopened jars of peanut butter, you are welcome to stop by any of the participating businesses and or organizations listed below accepting physical donations. You can also drop off the donations at the North County Food Banks warehouse in Vista.
Participant |
Gleaning Is A Form Of Food Recovery
Right now, we need gleaning programs more than ever. A recent report estimated that as much as 40% of the food that we produce is never eaten, and instead goes to landfill, where it generates high levels of methane gas. At the same time, there are 49 million people in the United States who are food insecure.
Institutions and government agencies are beginning to look at food recovery methods like gleaning as an important way to address problems of climate change, food waste, and food insecurity at once. Gleaning is one effective practice that takes food that would not make it to market for a variety of reasons, and get it to organizations that are relieving food insecurity.
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San Diego Blood Bank Hosts Summer Food Drive In Partnership With San Diego Food Bank
San Diego Blood Bank is partnering with Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank by hosting a Summer Food Drive June 1 – July 31, 2022.
Help ensure local families and patients have access to food, personal care products, diapers, and a safe blood supply during the summer months. Blood donors are encouraged to donate nonperishable food items, period products, infant formula, hygiene care items, and diapers to support San Diego Food Bank’s Food Pantry and Diaper Bank Program through July 30, 2022. San Diego Blood Bank staff, volunteers, blood donors and community partners are welcome to contribute.
All eight San Diego Blood Bank donation locations in San Diego County will be accepting donations in the red San Diego Food Bank bins. Homemade foods, glass jars, and alcohol items will not be accepted.
Most Needed Personal Care Products and Diaper Donation items include:
- Reusable Menstrual Cups and Disks
Combating Food Insecurity In San Diego

Did you know that an estimated 1 in 7 San Diegans doesnt know where the next meal will come from? That means that 443,000 men, women and children living in San Diego experience food insecurity. Even more, nearly 200,000 people in our city are on the cusp of food insecurity.
The San Diego Rescue Mission created the Partners for Hunger Relief Program to combat food insecurity in our city. Our refrigerated trucks allow us to safely collect millions of pounds of nutritious food each year food that would otherwise be thrown away. Over 100 grocery stores, restaurants, caterers, universities, hotels and hospitals contribute to this effort.
The San Diego Rescue Mission, in partnership with the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, provides food items at no cost to nearly 50 nonprofit organizations who operate hunger relief programs within San Diego County. Each of these partners have been accepted to the Food Banks Food to Nonprofits Program. Food is distributed each week in a central location, allowing accessibility to many organizations across central and southern San Diego. This mutually beneficial relationship allows food to move quickly and efficiently from the Food Banks warehouse into the hands of the community.
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Registration For Individual Volunteers
If you are a first-time volunteer, you will be asked to create a login and password when you sign up for your first shift on our volunteer registration system. Please be sure to store your login information for future use. Once registered and logged in, select your shift, and a confirmation email will be sent back to you. For returning volunteers, simply log in, select a shift, and you will receive a confirmation email.
Scare Away Hunger Peanut Butter Drive
During the month of October, businesses and organizations across the North County region are coming together to help Scare Away Hunger by collecting jars of peanut butter for local children and families in need.
Why Peanut Butter?
Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein for children and families. It is popular with kids. Its shelf-stable, and one jar can provide more than 12 sandwiches.
Peanut butter is very expensive for the Food Bank to purchase. That is why this years peanut butter food drive will be instrumental in helping stock the Food Banks shelves with this nutrient-rich superfood for local families in need.
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An Evening At The Ballpark Fundraising Event
Together, we really can make a difference in the lives of children and families who have been impacted by abuse. Through the support of the Southern Nevada community and the Las Vegas Aviators baseball organization, the CACF hosted its An Evening in the Ballpark event to not only raise awareness around the issue of child abuse and neglect, but to also raise funds in support of the victims and families they serve.
Online Registration And Check
Volunteers must sign up for a shift using our online registration system. When you arrive at the Food Bank for your volunteer shift, please check in at the front desk.
If you need the Food Bank to provide verification for the number of hours worked, please bring the associated paperwork with you for our staff to complete.
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New San Diego Law Expected To Increase Food Donations To Food Banks And Pantries
Starting January 1, 2022, San Diego placed a new law into effect, called Senate Bill 1383, that requires grocery stores and other food suppliers to donate all edible food waste to food rescue organizations or food banks.
This law was put into effect as an effort to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, considering that organic food waste is a large contributor of methane and carbon dioxide emissions. This bill aims to reduce toxic organic waste disposal in San Diego by 75% by 2025.
In order to ensure the most effective outcomes of this law, food suppliers will need to have a contract in place with a local food rescue organization to donate their food waste to. While the intentions of this law are focused on environmental health, its definitely a win for food-insecure communities, food banks, and rescue organizations.
“According to ReFED, about 35% of all food goes to waste. What were trying to do is prevent that,” said Patty O’Connor, the Chief Supply Chain Officer at Feeding San Diego. “Its a really great win-win relationship all around.
Currently, this law is only applicable to grocery stores and food suppliers, but in 2024 restaurants, hotels, and schools will also be required to comply.
Are you ready to make an impact against food insecurity in your community? Sign up to host a food drive, fundraiser, or turn your miles into meals by joining our race team today! You can also stay updated on hunger news by checking out our blog page!
What Is The Childrens Advocacy Center
Incorporated in 2016, the Childrens Advocacy Center Foundation is committed to helping and healing child victims and their families who have been traumatized by abuse and neglect. Through their unique private/public partnership with Clark Countys Department of Family Services and the Southern Nevada Childrens Advocacy Center, the CACF:
- Identifies gaps in services
- Engages in community outreach and advocacy
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Fundraises on behalf of the SNCAC, the children and families they serve.
Through their work, the CACF has assessed the communitys needs and acknowledges the importance of supporting the vital work done by the highly skilled professionals at the SNCAC. For children, when hurt, need the best from their community. As a registered 501 nonprofit organization, monetary gifts given in support of the SNCAC are tax deductible.
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How To Use The Map
Type in your address and select the days that best fit your schedule. You can narrow or expand your search by selecting travel distance. Before visiting a distribution site, please review each sites description, which lists the types of food provided, eligibility requirements, closures and helpful tip information.
Food Bank ID Cards Some food pantry sites listed on the map have Food Bank ID Cards available to help make food pick up simpler and quicker. The Food Bank ID cards allows those in need of food assistance to easily access many of our food distributions with the need to only register one-time. You can register for a Food Bank ID Card during your first visit at the sites who have Food Bank ID Cards listed under Helpful Tips.If you are a senior , please click the toggle button to show Senior Food Program sites, which are marked as red pins on the map. To start a new search, click on the green Reset button. If you need help with the map or have any questions about the distributions, please call the Food Bank at 1-866-350-3663 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
San Diego Food Bankstop 5 Volunteer Rules

Please wear comfortable, closed-toes shoes.
Please arrive on time.
Only children ages 11 and older can volunteer at the San Diego Food Bank warehouse, and all children ages 11 to 15 MUST be accompanied by 1 adult for every 4 children volunteering.
All volunteers must be registered for the shift prior to arrival. We cannot accept walk-ins.
Cant make it? Please give us a 24 hours notice, so we can fill your volunteer slot.
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Corporate & Foundation Partners
Our corporate and foundation partners provide vital support for our mission to fight hunger in San Diego County. As a Food Bank corporate partner, your organization will be aligned with an efficient, innovative, trusted and highly visible nonprofit that has the highest rating by Charity Navigator.
For our foundation partners, the Food Bank has one of the lowest overhead ratios in the county, and we offer the most effective way to put your donor dollars to work by creating positive change through general operating, programs and direct food distribution.
Groups Of 5 Or More Volunteers
Volunteering is a great team-building activity. We welcome businesses, organizations, community groups and more to volunteer at our warehouse in Miramar.
For groups of 5 or more, please fill out our Group Volunteer Request Form below and a Food Bank staff member will help coordinate. Due to the high volume of requests, please allow at least 72 hours to receive a reply.
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Sign Up For A Tour Of The Food Bank
Volunteer With Our Nonprofit Partners
The San Diego Food Bank partners with more than 500 nonprofits that distribute our food in the community. We encourage you to also volunteer directly with them. Use search term food on Hands on San Diegos website to find these opportunities.
Please note this is ONLY a referral. Food Bank staff do not oversee these volunteer opportunities. Any hours completed will not be recorded or tracked by the Food Bank.Not all food related volunteer postings are nonprofit partners of the Food Bank.
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How Do I Get Started
Whether youre a grocery store, local farmer, or individual food donor thank you for choosing to donate food to Feeding San Diego. Were dedicated to making the process of donating food as smooth as possible. In addition, we work hard to ensure that your donation makes it into the hands of those facing hunger quickly and safely.
Grocery Stores & Food Service Providers
Feeding San Diego partners with a range of businesses to rescue food that would otherwise go to waste. We work with grocery stores, retailers, manufacturers, food distributors, convenience stores, restaurants, caterers, and hotels. With hundreds of thousands of San Diego residents facing hunger, your business can help by donating items you would normally discard.
Ready to get started? Sign up as a food donor on MealConnect.
San Diego Food Bankvehicle Donation Program
Our Mission
The San Diego Food Bank provides nutritious food to people in need, advocates for the hungry, and educates the public about hunger related issues.
Our Vision
The Food Bank’s core values are leadership, integrity, cooperation, respect, excellence, and service. All Food Bank employees, executives, and officers are guided by, and seek to strive every day to live by this value system. Our values exemplify the dedication and respect we hold for our organization, our mission, our community, and the people we serve.
Donate a car to San Diego Food Bank and help fight hunger. Each vehicle donation helps San Diego Food Bank provide meals to those in need. Make a difference in someone’s life today!
We accept all types of vehicles:
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Why Donate Food Through Feeding San Diego
Cost Effective
Your donations reduce or eliminate fees such as storage and handling and waste disposal, as well as other overhead costs. In addition, donating to Feeding San Diego provides a number of tax benefits as defined by the IRS.
SB 1383 Compliance
Senate Bill 1383 went into effect on January 1, 2022. In short, the law requires certain businesses to donate the maximum amount of edible food they would otherwise waste. Looking for a partner to comply with SB 1383? Get in touch todayor
Needed
Donations like yours provide millions of meals for those facing hunger every year. Plus, donating food helps the environment! By diverting more than 27.2 million pounds of food from the landfill, we prevented 24,282 metric tons of harmful gasses from entering the atmosphere in FY21.
Donate To San Diego Food Bank

Help the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and their North County Food Bank chapter with your donation of nonperishable food items! The Food Banks most needed food items include: canned meats & fish, canned vegetables, canned fruits, jars of peanut butter and dried shelf-stable goods like oatmeal, cereals and pastas. All donations will be delivered to the Food Banks warehouse after the food drive, where the donations will be sorted and then distributed to local individuals and families facing food insecurity throughout the county. For more ways you can help the Food Bank, please visit SanDiegoFoodBank.org.
- All food donations will be accepted during the event.
- If you are donating blood, there will be donation barrels near registration.
- If you are NOT donating blood, drop off areas will be located at the registration tent and will be present throughout the event.
THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT PARTNERS
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Who Can Volunteer
The Food Bank encourages all to volunteer who meet age qualifications.
San Diego Food Bank warehouse Miramar Volunteers must be 11 years of age or olderto volunteer at our San Diego Food Bank facility in Miramar.
North County Food Bank warehouse Vista Volunteers must be 16 years of age or older to volunteer at our North County Food Bank facility in Vista.
Please note that age restrictions are required due to health and safety guidelines.