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:
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Food Pantry Hours We're open every Saturday from 11 am - 12:30 pm Phone: (619) 271-5017 The South Bay Food Pantry is a partner with Feeding San Diego and
the San Diego Food Bank. |
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
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

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).
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:
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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

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.
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.
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.