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South Bay Food Pantry

​Food Pantry Now Accepting Donations

Donate Funds online any time
Donating money allows us to purchase food in bulk at a discount, thereby making the most of your donation. To donate online, see below.

​Donate Food in South Bay
Every Saturday 9:30am-10 am at the Pantry in Chula Vista. Get directions. 
What to Donate
Peanut butter is our most frequently requested food! We cannot buy it in bulk, so your individual donations of 1 or 2 jars makes a difference! Our other frequently requested items are:
  • Pasta sauce
  • Pasta noodles
  • Canned, diced tomatoes
  • Canned tuna
Please don't buy fresh produce to donate. We can purchase fresh produce from a wholesaler at great rates! We would love for you to glean fresh fruits and vegetables from your neighborhood gardens. Your pantry funds go the furthest when you spend them on our most requested canned, boxed, and bagged pantry goods. Thank you for your continued support of the South Bay Food Pantry!
Food Pantry Hours
We're open every Saturday
​ from 11 am - 12:30 pm

​
​Phone: (619) 271-5017
Food Pantry News
Read our latest news, events and volunteer opportunities.
The South Bay Food Pantry is a partner with Feeding San Diego and
​the San Diego Food Bank.
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San Diego Food Bank Partner
​Introducing I Love to Glean, Recipient of February and March Generosity Offerings
I Love to Glean is a start up, non-profit food bank located in Chula Vista less than two miles from our South Bay Food Pantry. I am thrilled to share with you that I Love to Glean is also the recipient of the Sunday generosity offerings for February and March.  I Love to Glean is the brainchild of Karen Clay, a visionary and activist who currently lives in Imperial Beach. Karen is a retired event organizer. South Bay Food Pantry volunteers recognize her behind her mask when they see her long gray hair and ancient red pick up truck... Read More

How to donate food

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The best shelf stable food to donate is canned tuna, canned chicken, canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned beans, canned chili, canned diced tomatoes, soup, jars of marinara sauce, jars of peanut butter, boxes and bags of rice, beans, mac’n cheese, and other pasta.
Fresh produce and bread is best delivered during hours the pantry is open so we can distribute them immediately to clients. Our refrigerator and freezer are relatively small and we must use them to store undistributed food (for pest control we can't store food on shelves).

How to donate funds

Both one-time and monthly sustaining donations help us stay open! No amount is too small, or too large.
​To donate by ​credit card:
  1. Select the frequency for your donation.
  2. Under "Gift Designation" select "SB Food Pantry."
  3. Follow the steps to complete your donation.
Donate to the Food Pantry
To donate by check: 
Make your check payable to FUUSD, write "SB Food Pantry" in the memo line and mail to: 
FUUSD
Attn: Robie Evans
​4190 Front St., San Diego, CA 92103, 

Volunteer opportunities

BellaBella Furth taking all precautions while on duty at the SB Food Pantry. Thank you Bella!
We are in need of healthy volunteers who can successfully social distance wearing masks and gloves as needed to fulfill the following tasks:
  • Shoppers who will go into grocery stores, purchase food in bulk, and deliver it to the pantry. The pantry will reimburse AUTHORIZED purchases.
  • People to visit the Pantry one day a week to record temperatures for the refrigerator and freezer and initial the pest control log.
  • People to create fliers, print them out and distribute them.
  • Illustrators and cartoonists to create artwork for the food pantry page in The Window.
  • Teams to bag rice and beans.
If this is you, excellent! Thank you so much. To sign up, please email contact us via the links below.

What is the Food Pantry?

In December 2019, Rev. Tania Marquez gave the go-ahead to open a food pantry at our South Bay campus. Since then, our members and friends jumped right in with their labor and donations. Today, volunteers keep the pantry open and we have distributed thousands of pounds of food to our congregants and the wider community. Volunteers and donors (of both food and funds) are the heart and soul of the food pantry. It is a testament to our congregation's deep commitment that every single time the pantry has needed something or someone, that need has been fulfilled.

Where does the pantry get its food?
The pantry gets nearly all our food through your donations of food and funds. Periodically, we receive bulk food donations from partners in the wider community. If you find a source for either a one time or recurring bulk food donation, please contact us (see below for contact info).

What kind of food does the pantry distribute?
Our goal is to distribute only healthy food. Pantry storage space is very limited so we gratefully accept canned, bagged, and boxed food. Pantry clients particularly like canned pasta sauce, noodles, oatmeal, boxed cereals, peanut butter, jam, as well as canned diced tomatoes, tuna, chicken, corn, and fruit. We accept donations of fresh produce on Saturdays at two locations while the stay at home order is in place.

Who are the pantry clients?
Most pantry clients are families. We do not ask for ID or any proof of income. Anyone who asks for food receives it. The pantry reaches local households who need extra food through a variety of social service agencies in the South Bay with which we have developed relationships. A few unsheltered individuals also stop by from time to time. We provide sandwiches, canned food with pop-tops, and can openers to anyone who needs them. All the pantry volunteers eagerly look forward to the day when we can mingle with our clients and welcome them more warmly. Congregants are also more than welcome to use the pantry! People are finding themselves laid off from jobs. Rents, already too high, and mortgages are due. Stop by during business hours or make a private appointment to browse.

Thank you
A food pantry only needs three things to stay open: food, volunteers who show up on time ready to work, and clients. We have all three. The South Bay Food Pantry is humming along because our congregation truly acts on our weekly affirmation that service is our prayer.

Who to contact

Maureen McNair
Maureen McNair
Food Pantry Coordinator
memcnair948@gmail.com


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(619) 298-9978  |  Staff Directory
Hillcrest campus 4190 Front Street, San Diego, CA. 92103  |  South Bay campus 970 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA. 91911
For directions, parking and more see our Contact page.
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©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
    • Minister's Blog
  • Connections
    • Staying Connected
    • Welcome Newcomers! > >
      • Next Steps
      • UUism Primer
      • Become a Member
    • Community
    • Family Ministry > >
      • All Church Camp
    • Christian Study Group
    • Earth Centered Spirituality Circle
    • Living the Homestretch
    • Meditation
    • Men's Fellowship > >
      • UUMF Renewal Registration
    • Neighborhood Groups
    • UU Women
    • Youth Programs
    • Young Adult & Campus Ministry
    • Affinity Groups
    • Wisdom Circles
  • Music
    • Adult Choirs
    • Children and Youth Choirs
    • Handbell Choirs
    • JUUL Tones
    • South Bay Music
    • Women's Choir
  • Education
    • Children's RE > >
      • Family Ministry Library
      • Children's RE Registration
    • Our Whole Lives (OWL)
    • Adult Faith Formation
    • SD Co-op Preschool
  • Programs
    • Archives
    • Art Guild
    • Caring
    • Food Pantry
    • Groups from A-Z
    • Larger UU Connections > >
      • Denominational Relations
      • Friends of De Benneville Pines
      • Philippines Partner Church
      • Transylvania Partner Church
      • UU Service Committee
    • Leadership Development
    • Looking Glass Theatre
    • Social Justice > >
      • Clean Elections
      • Climate Justice
      • Generosity Offerings
      • Organizing for Justice
      • Palestine-Israel Justice Group
      • Rainbow Action
      • Reproductive Justice
      • Sanctuary
      • SOLACE
      • UPTOWN Faith Community Services Center
    • Ushering
  • Giving
    • Donations
    • B&B Program > >
      • B&B Guest Registration
    • B&B Hosting > >
      • B&B Host Application
    • Dining for Dollars
    • Donate Your Vehicle
    • Donate Flowers
    • Planned Giving
    • Pledging
    • San Diego Visit
    • Specialty Sale
    • Shop and Support!
  • News
    • Blog
    • The Window - Weekly Bulletin
    • First Words Magazine
  • About
    • Member Areas > >
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    • Calendar
    • Our Ministers
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    • South Bay Campus
    • Forms
    • Reopening Team
    • Visioning The Future
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    • Governance >
      • 8th Principle
    • Our History
  • Contact
    • Ministers and Staff
    • Website Update Form
    • Privacy and Terms