First UU Church of San Diego
  • Home
  • Worship
    • Messages
    • Online Worship Services
    • Participate in a Service
    • Principles & Sources
  • Connections
    • Welcome Newcomers! > >
      • Visiting First UU
      • What is UUism?
      • Become a Member
    • Groups from A-Z > >
      • Affinity Groups
      • Archives
      • Art Guild
      • Christian Study Group
      • Earth Centered Spirituality Circle
      • Looking Glass Theatre
      • Meditation
      • Men's Fellowship
      • Neighborhood Groups
      • UU Seniors
      • Wisdom Circles
    • Member Networking
    • Listening Circles
    • Restorative Process
  • Music
    • Adult Choirs > >
      • Handbell Choirs
      • JUUL Tones
      • South Bay Music
      • Women's Choir
    • Children and Youth Choirs
  • Education
    • Children's RE > >
      • Family Ministry Library
      • Children's RE Registration
    • Adult Faith Formation
    • Family Ministry > >
      • All Church Camp
    • Youth Programs
    • Young Adult & Campus Ministry
    • Our Whole Lives (OWL)
    • SD Co-op Preschool
  • Programs
    • Caring
    • Food Pantry
    • Larger UU Connections > >
      • Denominational Relations
      • Friends of De Benneville Pines
      • Philippines Partner Church
      • Transylvania Partner Church
      • UU Service Committee
    • Leadership Development
    • Social Justice > >
      • Social Justice Executive Team
      • Clean Elections
      • Climate Justice
      • Generosity Offerings
      • Organizing for Justice
      • Palestine-Israel Justice Group
      • Rainbow Action
      • Reproductive Justice
      • Sanctuary
      • SOLACE
      • Uptown Community Service Center
    • Ushering
  • Giving
    • Donations > >
      • Pledging
      • Planned Giving
      • Donate Your Vehicle
      • Donate Flowers
    • Dining for Dollars D4$
    • B&B Program > >
      • B&B Guest Registration
      • B&B Hosting > >
        • B&B Host Application
    • Specialty Sale
    • Shop and Support!
  • News
    • Blog
    • The Window - Weekly Bulletin
    • First Words Magazine
  • About
    • For Members > >
      • Member's Login
      • Board Login
    • Our Ministers
    • Our Staff
    • Calendar
    • Facilities > >
      • Campus Maps
      • Ceremonies
      • Hillcrest Campus
      • South Bay Campus
      • Facilities Use Request Form
    • Forms
    • Governance > >
      • 8th Principle
      • Journey Toward Wholeness > >
        • Black History Month
      • Reopening Team
      • Strategic Planning > >
        • Funding our Future
        • Visioning The Future
    • Our History
  • Contact
    • Ministers and Staff
    • Website Update Form
    • MAG Contact Form
    • Privacy and Terms

BLOG

Pantry Provides Food for over 3,300 People in January

2/9/2021

0 Comments

 
By Maureen McNair
​​Our hard working volunteers handed out food for over 3,300 individuals last month at our southwestern Chula Vista pantry. Our main pantry clients are families and individuals. 
I wanted to start our pantry in the 91911 zip code because I knew they community needed more food. We do have clients come from outside the neighborhood, but we are filling a void in a location where there simply has not been enough food flowing into the community.
I became aware of the need for more food in this Chula Vista neighborhood when I taught at a local public school. There were two things I saw with children that convinced me the community needed more nutrition. 
The year I retired — well before covid-19 — I taught kindergarten. In the school at which I taught, 97% of the families lived below the poverty line. The vast majority of children qualified for a free or reduced cost breakfast. Many of my kindergartners came to school early, sat on the outdoor picnic benches, and ate breakfast together before class.  
For those of you who have been around 5 year old children, you know how energetic they are. They don’t really walk. They run everywhere, including inside the classroom. So one might think when morning recess arrived, they would run around the playground. But, many children did not. Instead, they went back to sit at the outdoor picnic benches to eat what the school called “second breakfast.” Instead of playing, they ate a free second morning meal.
Second breakfast happened everyday. Second breakfast was routine. It was a huge clue many children at that school were not getting enough food at home. 
In addition to seeing a broad need among the students for more food, I saw some individual children with an even more acute need for food.
​Our school participated in a program in which select students were sent home every Friday afternoon with a backpack filled with child accessible food so that child would be able to eat alone over the weekend. 
One kindergarten girl in my class participated in the Friday backpack program. She was very thin with upper arms no bigger around than a broomstick. One day, I brought several huge sunflowers I had grown in my backyard into my classroom. For our science lesson, I wanted the children to learn about plants. Then, for math, I wanted them to practice their counting skills with the abundant seeds from each flower head. This particular little girl did not do her science or math lesson. Instead, she ate her seeds.  
So, I have wanted a food pantry in this particular community for while now. Thank you for working with me to make it so.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    What's New?

    The First UU Church of San Diego blog is your resource for upcoming events and past event recaps. Leave us a comment to let us know what you think!

    Categories

    All
    Aging
    Announcements
    Black Lives Matter
    Board Of Trustees
    Camp De Benneville Pines
    Careers
    Climate Change
    Climate Justice
    COVID Caring
    Democracy In Action
    Dining For Dollar$
    Events
    First UU History
    First Words Stories
    Food Pantry
    General Assembly
    Gun Violence
    Holiday Events
    Holiday Greetings
    Immigrants Rights
    Intercultural Workshops
    International Women's Day
    Journey Towards Wholeness
    JTW
    Kids Activities
    LGBTQIA
    Marriage Equality
    Meditation Mondays
    Meet A Volunteer
    Minister Letters
    On The Side Of Love
    Pledge Drive
    Racial Justice
    Religious Education
    Reopening Team
    Rev. Alix Klingenberg
    Rev. Carolyn Owen-Towle
    Rev. Everett Howe
    Rev. Ian Riddell
    Rev. Jennifer Channin
    Rev. Kathleen Owens
    Rev. Omega Burckhardt
    Rev. Tania Marquez
    Rev. Tom Owen-Towle
    Sabbatical Notes
    Sanctuary
    Social Justice Actions
    South Bay Campus
    Staying Connected
    Stevie Carmody
    Unitarian Universalism 101
    UU Parenting
    UUs In Action
    UU Women
    Visioning The Future
    Volunteer Opportunities

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    April 2017
    December 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    October 2014
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012
    March 2011
    October 2010
    June 2002

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
(619) 298-9978  |  Staff Directory
Hillcrest campus 4190 Front Street, San Diego, CA. 92103  |  South Bay campus 970 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA. 91911
  For GPS to our Hillcrest Campus, please use 298 W Arbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92103
For directions, parking and more see our Contact page.
Picture
©2004-2019 First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego. All rights reserved. Admin.
  • Home
  • Worship
    • Messages
    • Online Worship Services
    • Participate in a Service
    • Principles & Sources
  • Connections
    • Welcome Newcomers! > >
      • Visiting First UU
      • What is UUism?
      • Become a Member
    • Groups from A-Z > >
      • Affinity Groups
      • Archives
      • Art Guild
      • Christian Study Group
      • Earth Centered Spirituality Circle
      • Looking Glass Theatre
      • Meditation
      • Men's Fellowship
      • Neighborhood Groups
      • UU Seniors
      • Wisdom Circles
    • Member Networking
    • Listening Circles
    • Restorative Process
  • Music
    • Adult Choirs > >
      • Handbell Choirs
      • JUUL Tones
      • South Bay Music
      • Women's Choir
    • Children and Youth Choirs
  • Education
    • Children's RE > >
      • Family Ministry Library
      • Children's RE Registration
    • Adult Faith Formation
    • Family Ministry > >
      • All Church Camp
    • Youth Programs
    • Young Adult & Campus Ministry
    • Our Whole Lives (OWL)
    • SD Co-op Preschool
  • Programs
    • Caring
    • Food Pantry
    • Larger UU Connections > >
      • Denominational Relations
      • Friends of De Benneville Pines
      • Philippines Partner Church
      • Transylvania Partner Church
      • UU Service Committee
    • Leadership Development
    • Social Justice > >
      • Social Justice Executive Team
      • Clean Elections
      • Climate Justice
      • Generosity Offerings
      • Organizing for Justice
      • Palestine-Israel Justice Group
      • Rainbow Action
      • Reproductive Justice
      • Sanctuary
      • SOLACE
      • Uptown Community Service Center
    • Ushering
  • Giving
    • Donations > >
      • Pledging
      • Planned Giving
      • Donate Your Vehicle
      • Donate Flowers
    • Dining for Dollars D4$
    • B&B Program > >
      • B&B Guest Registration
      • B&B Hosting > >
        • B&B Host Application
    • Specialty Sale
    • Shop and Support!
  • News
    • Blog
    • The Window - Weekly Bulletin
    • First Words Magazine
  • About
    • For Members > >
      • Member's Login
      • Board Login
    • Our Ministers
    • Our Staff
    • Calendar
    • Facilities > >
      • Campus Maps
      • Ceremonies
      • Hillcrest Campus
      • South Bay Campus
      • Facilities Use Request Form
    • Forms
    • Governance > >
      • 8th Principle
      • Journey Toward Wholeness > >
        • Black History Month
      • Reopening Team
      • Strategic Planning > >
        • Funding our Future
        • Visioning The Future
    • Our History
  • Contact
    • Ministers and Staff
    • Website Update Form
    • MAG Contact Form
    • Privacy and Terms