1 in 3 San Diegans doesn’t have enough food to feed their families. We can connect you to programs that help you and your family stay healthy and well-nourished such as CalFresh, local and regional food banks, emergency food services, the Women Infant Children (WIC) program, and more. If you need help getting food immediately, call 2–1–1.
CalFresh is a program funded by the USDA to help improve the health and nutrition of low-income families. CalFresh can stretch food dollars, allowing families and individuals to buy more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and other healthy foods.
The WIC program aims to improve the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care.
The Restaurant Meals Program allows elderly, disabled, and homeless individuals and their spouses receiving benefits to use their Golden State Advantage (EBT) cards to purchase meals from participating restaurants.
Every public and charter school in California must offer one free breakfast and one free lunch to any student who asks for it. This is a rule from a California state law called the Universal Meals Program (also called “School Meals for All”). Meals must be consumed on campus and cannot be taken to go. The funding for this program is safe and is not impacted by delays in federal funding. ALL students—from Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through 12th grade—who attend a public school or charter school in California are eligible. Income does not matter. Your child just goes to the cafeteria or meal service line and asks for a meal. They do not need to show an ID, sign up, or pay for anything to eat.
Tip for Parents/Guardians/Caregivers: Even though no sign-up is needed, it helps the school prepare the correct number of meals if you let the school office or your child’s charter school know as soon as possible that your child will be eating free breakfast and/or lunch.
Find drive-thru and walk-up food distribution services for anyone needing emergency food assistance.
The San Diego Food Bank and its North County Food Bank chapter partner with dozens of nonprofit organizations to distribute diapers to families in need throughout San Diego County.
The Summer Food Service Program, also known as the Summer Meals Program, was established to ensure that children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session.