To meet the needs of children in San Diego County identified as homeless by continuously providing a stable and nutritious source of food to carry home during the weekends along with providing them with nutritional education. As a result of meeting physical and practical needs we hope to build relationships with these children and enhance their quality of life for a great future and hope.

How the Program Works

We’ve Got Your Back San Diego is a weekend nutrition program created by Giving Children Hope for students in the San Diego County Unified School Districts who have been identified as homeless under the McKinney-Vento act.

These children also take part in the free and reduced lunch program at their schools. For most of these children, the school cafeteria is their primary source of nutrition. Many return home on Friday to a household without food. This is where We’ve Got Your Back San Diego and the San Diego County Unified School Districts partner together to alleviate hunger among our children in San Diego County.

We’ve Got Your Back San Diego distributes backpacks weekly to elementary schools. There, a site coordinator distributes each backpack confidentially to every student in the program. This continues throughout the entire school year. The program is presented to the children as a Weekend Nutrition Club, instead of the “We’ve Got Your Back” program. Our first priority is to maintain and uphold the dignity and self-esteem of the children. Students in the weekend nutrition club will receive a weekly activity sheet that will pertain to nutrition. This activity sheet is returned every week in each backpack and is the students’ responsibility. Children who return their activity sheets will be rewarded. With the assistance of a school site coordinator from the school, the distribution of backpacks and the collection of empty ones can be facilitated in a simple and time efficient manner.

Looking into the face of homelessness may be difficult, but a touch of empathy is a beginning of making a difference in the lives of children.

Jack Little, Director of Operations We’ve Got Your Back San Diego
760.777.2675

www.gotyourbacksd.org