This month, during Hunger Awareness Month, we join with our community partners to raise awareness about a growing crisis — access to nutritious food. For some, food is a daily comfort and certainty. For others, it is a source of constant worry, sacrifice, and stress.
The crisis has only deepened in 2025. In March, schools and food banks faced about $1 billion in cuts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the challenges for our partners have only grown. Hospitals, community-based organizations, and families alike are bracing for the impact of significant funding reductions. For Californians who depend on Medi-Cal and CalFresh, two of our state’s most critical safety nets, these cuts have compounded an already heavy burden.
In San Diego and Imperial counties, thousands of families face impossible choices each month: paying rent or buying groceries, filling a prescription or filling a refrigerator. These decisions carry heavy emotional and physical tolls.
Recent community health assessments reflect this reality. Imperial County’s 2024 Community Health Assessment identified improving access to healthy and nutritious foods as one of its top three priorities for 2024–27. Similarly, the 2025 San Diego Community Health Needs Assessment found that food insecurity contributes to rising levels of stress across the region.
Please click on the links below to learn more about hunger in our regions and how you can make a difference:
Together, we can build a community where every person is nourished and where health and well-being can truly thrive.
—