A record $4.5 million grant will fund refrigeration trucks for Feeding San Diego as food insecurity surpasses pandemic-era levels.

SAN DIEGO — Feeding San Diego has received the largest single donation from an state lawmaker in its 19-year history: $4.5 million in state funding secured by North County Assemblymember Dr. Darshana Patel.

The money, which was earmarked in AB 113, will not go toward buying more food. Instead, it will fund refrigeration trucks and storage space, helping the organization move rescued food from farms and packing houses to the community faster.



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“There is a lot of rescue food available, particularly the bulk coming from farms and packing houses,” said Bob Kamensky, CEO of Feeding San Diego. “It’s space. We have such limited refrigeration space that we need to build additional refrigeration capacity.”

Kamensky said the new trucks will not only expand the organization’s warehouse capacity but also help deliver food directly to partner sites where distribution happens in the community.

Patel said her own childhood experience shaped her decision to direct the funding toward food security.

“When I was a kid, during times of economic instability, the ’80s recessions, my dad was unemployed,” Patel said. “He had been laid off, and we were looking for ways to find some food security.”

The transportation and storage upgrades come as Feeding San Diego distributed 43 million pounds of food last year, a number expected to grow as changes to federal SNAP benefits affect who qualifies for assistance.

Among those the organization serves is Lori Adkins, who said she makes too much to qualify for CalFresh but still struggles to afford groceries.

“I did work for 30 years and retired, and you know I should be able to afford food and I should be able to afford an apartment with my income, but in San Diego it’s just very difficult,” Adkins said.

Adkins is one of roughly 200,000 people Feeding San Diego serves each month. The organization says that number has surpassed peak pandemic levels and has grown nearly 8.8% year over year.

The $4.5 million is one-time emergency funding, not a recurring source of support, though Feeding San Diego says the need for food assistance shows no signs of slowing down.