San Diego County CA— 2-1-1 San Diego, an independent local nonprofit that serves as a resource and information hub connecting more than 200,000 people annually to more than 6,000 community, health and disaster support services, has announced it will seek donations from the public for its food assistance program as part of the annual “Giving Tuesday,” a global day of giving to be held this year on Nov. 28.
According to John Ohanian, president and CEO of 2-1-1 San Diego, one in five children in San Diego will go hungry this year. That is enough to fill Petco Park four times over. Furthermore, single mothers are hit the hardest and 64 percent of single-parent families go hungry every year. In San Diego, 56 percent of families battling poverty and hunger have a job.
“2-1-1 San Diego’s mission is to connect people to community, health and disaster services, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” said Ohanian. “This includes access to resources and services that help individuals and families access the healthy foods they need. In 2016, we connected 22,000 San Diegans to more than $2 million in food benefits.
This year, 2-1-1 San Diego is leveraging the power of Giving Tuesday to solicit donations from individuals and companies in the spirit of philanthropy and proactive community planning to support 2-1-1 partners and community in ending food insecurity.
“We want to connect more of our neighbors to a lifeline of resources so they can build and sustain healthy and well-nourished lives,” Ohanian said. “Our message to anyone who needs food assistance is that help is available and we can start that connection for you.”
Online donations can be made at www.giving2sday.org. A goal of $21,111 has been sent for the campaign. Donations to 2-1-1 San Diego, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, are tax deductible. Ohanian said donations will help support 2-1-1 San Diego’s mission to connect individuals and families to assistance, resources and information, including food assistance program through the holidays such as CalFresh, local and regional food banks, emergency food services, Women Infant Children (WIC) programs and others.
In addition to food assistance, 2-1-1 San Diego also serves as a community information exchange and a single-access point for people who need vital information, referrals and navigation about health services, housing, utilities, transportation, financial and legal assistance, along with health and wellness assistance.

About 2-1-1 San Diego

2-1-1 San Diego serves as a lifeline connecting San Diegans to more than 6,000 community, health and disaster support services, 24-hours a day in more than 200 languages, through a simple three-digit number, searchable online database and online chat. 2-1-1’s Community Information Exchange technology improves the lives and health outcomes of San Diego’s through improved care coordination that unites information across our community providers, making access to services seamless. For more information about 2-1-1 San Diego, visit www.211sandiego.org or follow them on Facebook @211sandiego or on Twitter @211SD.