San Diego Hunger Coalition

Hunger free san diego advisory board & research: program continued to lead a multi-year, cross-sector initiative to end hunger in san diego county using a community-driven, data-informed, collaborative approach.guided by an advisory board of more than 30 leaders representing all aspects of hunger relief in san diego county, hunger free san diego is a cross-sector, collaborative initiative launched in 2016 to apply a data-informed and community-driven approach to ending hunger in our region. Advisory board member organizations (and other hunger relief partners) provide comprehensive data reports to the hunger coalition on the amount of food assistance they provide each month. The hunger coalition aggregates this data provides analysis and additional research on nutrition insecurity and produces maps and data tables with the following estimates down to zip code level each month: number of nutrition insecure individuals; percentage of the population of each zip code that is nutrition insecure; number of food assistance meals provided; the calfresh (snap) participation rate; the number of potential calfresh (snap) enrollees in each zip code; and the meal gap, which is the number of missing meals needed for all residents of san diego county to have access to three healthy meals per day. In 2024, the advisory board met twice to: review its collective data, methodology, and reach; lead narrative change to solidify the sectors focus on equitable access to food assistance; develop data dashboards to summarize its monthly data products by electoral districts; contribute to the hunger coalitions march & november 2024 issue briefs on the state of nutrition insecurity in san diego county; and to help plan the annual state of hunger program which features a panel of hfsd advisory board members each year.the advisory board also contributed to the hunger coalitions quarterly data releases in 2024 which analyzed and mapped nutrition insecurity, food assistance, and the meal gap in their respective months by zip code. Quarterly maps were posted on the hunger coalition websites research page along with the data releases. 2024 data dashboards now developed and interactive through tableau are posted on the hunger coalitions website quarterly. The dashboards can be viewed by board of supervisor district, congressional district, state assembly district, san diego city council district, and state senate district. In addition to the data created for the entire hunger relief sector, hunger free san diego also includes responding to presentation & data requests from community partners in which the hunger coalition shares the basics of our methodology & produces customized data tables or reports to fit the needs of the request. There is an ongoing quarterly data request in which the hunger coalition provides data and maps on nutrition insecurity, food assistance, and the meal gap for the county population that is 60+ for advisory board member meals on wheels such that they can analyze the conditions of the population that they serve specifically. Hunger free navigator: program efforts yielded a significant impact in addressing nutrition insecurity in san diego county in 2024. By integrating food assistance with the development and institutionalization of the hunger free navigator (hfn) program, the team conducted 12 hfn trainings, resulting in an increase of 245 navigators from 79 different organizations throughout san diego county.the hfn program maintained and updated multiple sources of food assistance resources and information, including bilingual resources webpages and hfsd food assistance resource flyers that are easily accessible, shareable, and a trusted resource for a total of 13 different languages. In addition to monthly countywide navigator trainings, the hfn team showcased navigator work by networking with new partners and strengthening existing relationships. Sdhc used this opportunity to train local sectors including healthcare networks, law enforcement, agricultural groups, and community-based organizations. Sdhc identified the need for connecting with spanish-speaking communities, and thus launched navigator trainings in spanish, effectively expanding our audience to chw/promotores and spanish-speaking community leaders. 15 specialty tranings were held, training an additional 419 providers across the county.

Policy advocacy: program increased access to nutrition through policy changes at the local, state, and federal level. The san diego hunger coalition stood with the nearly one million san diegans experiencing nutrition insecurity and the more than 500 nonprofit organizations and worked to connect people to food by: elevating the experiences of people struggling to access healthy, affordable food. Engaged and acted as a resource for policymakers by providing research, policy analyses, and case studies of whats happening in san diego county. Coordinated local actions, including meetings with policymakers, call-in days, and letter campaigns to support local, state, and federal legislation. 12 digital communications were shared with nearly 300 hunger free activists. Through this platform, sdhc serve as a backbone agency that collates important legislative information, facilitates engagement with elected offices, and organizes strategic advocacy campaigns; however, these efforts now serve and support a broader coalition of activists and community residents looking to take action. In 2024, through hosting of a legislative forum for stakeholders and elected official staff, san diego hunger coalition identified a total of 10 state bills. 1 child nutrition bills and 10 calfresh bills. Of these bills sdhc successfully advocated for 1 of our bills to be passed and signed into law. Sdhc also identified 11 federal calfresh bills.