$3 million dollar grant given to local farmers and food banks

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Food banks and local farmers are teaming up to fight hunger in San Diego County, receiving a $3 million boost from a private grant to help feed the roughly 400,000 residents struggling with food insecurity.

The emergency funding, provided by the Prebys Foundation, will be split between Feeding San Diego and the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank. The grant comes amid historic cuts to federal food programs and a sharp rise in requests for help.

“Today is a reminder that when we stand united as a community, we can build a stronger, more resilient San Diego — one rooted in love and compassion,” said Pastor Will James of Friendships for Hope.

Feeding San Diego CEO Robert Kamensky said the need spans communities across the region, including military families at Camp Pendleton, MCRD San Diego and MCAS Miramar, as well as airport authority employees and others seeking food assistance.

Grant Oliphant, president and CEO of the Prebys Foundation, said data from 211 San Diego show a 128% increase in food-related requests for help in just the past week compared to September’s baseline.

The grant will also support local farmers, who will supply fresh produce directly to food banks. Casey Castillo, CEO of the San Diego Food Bank, said the funding will strengthen the region’s food ecosystem and "support those who grow our food.”

Ellee Igoe, director of the Foodshed Cooperative, said the partnership highlights the disconnect between policymakers and the realities faced by communities during the federal government shutdown.

“It just shows how disconnected decision-makers have become from what they are doing on the ground,” Igoe said. “It is absolutely shameful.”

Despite the challenges, community organizations like the Prebys Foundation, Price Philanthropies and the San Diego Foundation are helping fill the gap left by federal funding cuts. Volunteers such as Deborah Gonzalez of Feeding San Diego say the need is urgent in rural areas like Boulevard.

“The CalFresh benefits being cut have created a lot of panic, a lot of worry,” Gonzalez said. “There are children who go to bed hungry. It’s very real out there.”

Organizers warn that San Diego County could lose more than $300 million in government funding annually if federal aid continues to be reduced, including $200 million in cuts to CalFresh, the state’s version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.