For months, we’ve watched the images from San Diego to Dallas to Pittsburgh of long lines of cars with men and woman waiting patiently, hopefully, for food they could no longer afford to buy.
We read the news about how, even before the pandemic began, hunger was a gnawing problem. In San Diego, one in seven residents were said to be food insecure. Now, after waves of lockdowns and downturns, that number is more like one in three.
So I set out to use this first column of the year to ask why we who live in the richest nation on the planet cannot resolve to end hunger once and for all. Period. End stop. Drop the mic.
SAN DIEGO
Charities, nonprofits and service providers throughout the county have expanded food programs this year to help people in need during the pandemic, but leaders in those organization say people still are going hungry despite their efforts.
Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO of Father Joe’s Villages, said the service provider has expanded its meal service at its downtown campus to three-a-day to include breakfast, lunch and dinner to meet a growing need.
Sensing that they weren’t reaching people in need further away, the nonprofit also began serving take-out meals at Father Joe’s Thrift Shop at 1457 University Ave. in Hillcrest and at 1404 Fifth Ave. in downtown San Diego.