Hunger Free Advisory Board & Community Advisory Council

Hunger Free Advisory Board

The Hunger Free San Diego Advisory Board is comprised of more than 30 decision-makers and experts representing emergency food providers, social service agencies, government agencies, healthcare providers, school districts, early education providers, researchers, funders, and other aligned collaboratives. The Board meets bi-monthly to provide feedback, update the Hunger Free San Diego methodology, and collaborate on ways to increase the San Diego food system. Hunger Free San Diego is facilitated by the San Diego Hunger Coalition and is an active member of the national Hunger Free Communities network facilitated by the Alliance to End Hunger in Washington, D.C.

Advisory Board Members

  • 211 San Diego:  Karla Samayoa, Director of Safety Net Programs; Nicole Blumenfeld, Director of Informatics

  • Catholic Charities: Vino Pajanor, CEO

  • Child Care Food Program Roundtable: Elyse Homel Vitale, Executive Director

  • The Children’s Initiative: Sarah Mostofi, Operations Director

  • County of San Diego

    • Land Use & Environment: Rebeca Appel, Live Well San Diego Food System Initiative

    • Health & Human Services Agency  

      • Public Health: Naomi Billups**, Public Health Nutrition Manager

      • Community Health Statistics: Chris O’Malley, Senior Epidemiologist, Joanna Hutchinson, Epidemiologist II

      • Aging & Independence Services: Charli Brand, Nutrition Services Manager

    • Office of Emergency Services:  Nick Thomlinson, Emergency Services Coordinator

  • Feeding San Diego: Bob Kamensky, Chief Strategy Officer

  • Heaven’s Windows: Angela Kretschmar, Executive Director

  • Hospital Association of San Diego & Imperial Counties: Lindsey Wade, Vice President, Public Policy

  • Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank: Vanessa Ruiz, Vice President of Operations

  • Jewish Family Service: Kristine Stensberg, Senior Director of Nutrition and Aging Care Services

  • Kitchens for Good: Jennifer Gilmore, CEO

  • Leah’s Pantry: Adrienne Markworth, Executive Director; Dana Henderson, Director of Programs

  • Mama’s Kitchen: Alberto Cortes, Executive Director

  • Meals on Wheels: Brent Wakefield, President & CEO; Patrick Zondler, Senior Projects Director

  • North County Health Services WIC: Mary Sammer, Nutrition Services Director

  • Produce Good:  Nita Kurmins Gilson & Alexander White, Co-Executive Directors

  • Project New Village:  Diane Moss, Executive Director

  • San Diegans for Every Child: Erin Hogeboom, Director

  • San Diego Food System Alliance: Elly Brown, Executive Director

  • San Diego Hunger Coalition: Anahid Brakke, CEO (HFSD Facilitator); Joseph Kendrick, Data Analyst

  • San Diego State University, School of Exercise & Nutritional Sciences: Amanda McClain, PhD, Assistant Professor

  • San Diego Unified School District, Child Nutrition Services: Gary Petill**, COO; Torin Childress, Program Manager

  • San Ysidro Health Center: Esther Matos, Program Manager

  • University of California San Diego

    • Center for Community Health – Blanca Meléndrez, Exec Director; SD County Childhood Obesity Initiative

    • Office of Foundation Relations – Amanda Estrada, Associate Director

  • Victory Gardens San Diego: Richard Winkler, Director

  • WIC

    • Scripps Mercy Hospital - WIC Office: Beth Clark, Director 

  • Additional SDHC Board Members 

    • Nicky Riordan** – former staff for Feeding San Diego & San Diego Food Bank

    • Alice Guittard**

  • Judith Shaplin, Community Advocate

** Serves on San Diego Hunger Coalition Board of Directors

Community Advisory Council

Beginning in January 2021, SDHC developed a Community Advisory Council (CAC) to inform efforts to increase awareness and information of available food assistance resources in communities throughout San Diego County. CAC members comprised three trusted community-based organizations and resident leader representatives from their grassroots networks: Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC), Somali Family Service, and Vista Community Clinic’s Poder Popular. This Council met weekly over the span of 4 months in early 2021 to discuss, learn and inform the development of the Navigator Program, with each community resident leader compensated for their time on the Council.

This CAC identified priorities for a piloted resident-tailored track of the Hunger Free Navigator program™, originally envisioned to provide resources and tailored information to community residents. CAC members informed the SDHC team to create educational materials that are understandable and accessible to these communities by tailoring information, messaging, and delivery.

The CAC also helped SDHC design and facilitate the dissemination of a community food assistance survey to determine residents’ awareness of different food assistance programs and better understand barriers to access. SDHC translated the survey into eleven languages and offered it online or as a paper survey. SDHC cross-promoted among community collaborative tables and with SDHC partners, and community resident leaders assisted in disseminating the survey at their in-person events, specifically food distribution events.

Over 300 surveys were collected from each region of the county in a span of 6 weeks, and the data results informed additional message creation for the Hunger Free Navigator Program’s curriculum. As a result of the survey findings, SDHC also identified an opportunity to build on advocacy efforts with public charge and improve educational information on this topic. SDHC updated its Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylees webpage and Resources webpage based on CAC recommendations and created Spanish pages and tools to increase accessibility to information.

Community Advisory Council Members

  • Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC):

    • Dante Dauz, Eduardo Gochicoa, Peaceful Land, Anthony Dramani, Tracey Swafford

  • Somali Family Service:

    • Safiya Abdirahman, Munisa Ali, Sahro Nor

  • Valuable Connected Care’s (VCC) Poder Popular:

    • Deysi Merino-Gonzalez, Estela Chamu, Maria Lopez