Nominee #1 - David Barber-Dunham - San Diego Childhood Obesity Initiative Community Council, Council Member
Why are you nominating this person for the Hunger Fighter Award? How have they impacted their community?
David Barber-Dunham is a true champion for health, helping to increase access to and consumption of healthy foods for thousands of community members across Southern California. David's dedication and tireless efforts to fighting hunger are truly inspiring. From his service in the United States Navy to his work at St Jude’s Shrine of the West, David lives through serving his community. By leveraging the knowledge and opportunities that his work, his relationships, and his home have provided him, he brings what he has learned to positively impact the community.
When he was connected with a nutritionist at the Logan Heights Family Health Center, he realized how important it was to pay careful attention to the foods he put into his body. Through participating in programs like ¡Mas Fresco! he understood the importance of advocating for better health, for himself and for the community. Empowered with the knowledge and the passion for food access and health equity, he became an advocate himself, sharing his own wisdom with others struggling with healthy food access.
Inspired by his own lived experience, he has been actively involved in advocating for the expansion and funding of nutrition incentive programs. He has collaborated with statewide groups and organizations, including the American Heart Association, Nourish California, and Center for Science in the Public Interest. His advocacy efforts have played a critical role in securing substantial funding for programs that improve access to nutritious food for underserved communities.
David has been a ¡Mas Fresco! nutrition incentive advocate and supporter since 2017 and a member of the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative’s Community Council since July 2022. Since joining, he has been an exemplary advocate for the communities of San Diego. His leadership and voice have inspired other community council members and our staff to elevate and lead with heart.
Please share 1 of their major accomplishments in the last year, in their efforts to create equitable access to food assistance.
This year, California launched the rollout of Sun Bucks (Summer EBT), a new federal program designed to ensure that school aged children continue to receive food assistance during summer break. David has conducted extensive campaign outreach to increase awareness and uptake of the program by community members through social media, group presentations, and one-on-one conversations. In addition to the Sun Bucks campaign, David has championed and supported our ¡Mas Fresco! nutrition incentive program, helping to ensure the ongoing viability of nutrition incentives for CalFresh recipients across Southern California. David has also been instrumental in advocating for our ¡Mas Fresco! Plus program, helping to secure $500,000 of funding from San Diego County to continue the program. He took his experience with food insecurity and advocated for his community at multiple levels of state and local government, driving the campaigns forward through authenticity and storytelling. His support, along with the support of other community members and partners, has resulted in continued funding for these much needed programs. David is the heart of our community and serves as inspiration for us all to continue in this work to drive equitable access to healthy and nutritious foods, while simultaneously addressing hunger and food insecurity among children and adults.
Nominee #2 - Eric Guerrerro-Diaz - Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego, Food Service Manager
Why are you nominating this person for the Hunger Fighter San Diego Award? How have they impacted their community?
Chef Eric has an incredibly difficult yet rewarding role serving families at the San Diego Ronald McDonald House. Together with partners such as Feeding San Diego, the San Diego Food Bank, and local food rescue stores, he runs an operation that served 173,000 meals in 2023 and is on pace to serve more than 200,000 meals in 2024. Watching Chef Eric and his team plan a menu is to witness creativity in action. One of their chief tasks is ensuring that the ingredients over 90 percent of which are in-kind donations are fully utilized and not sent to local landfills as waste.
Chef Eric’s Meal Program is offered free of charge to all guests of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego. If the organization’s mission is to provide a "home away from home" for families with an ill or injured child, Chef Eric’s role is to provide healthy meals for families enduring one of the most challenging times of their lives. His unwavering dedication ensures that the comforting power of food is always available, helping to lift spirits and foster community during uncertain times.
Chef Eric is truly a Hunger Fighter. Not only does he provide three meals a day, 365 days a year, but he also stocks and manages the family kitchen, where families can prepare their own meals at any time. Despite leading a team of just two Sous Chefs, Chef Eric relies on the support of thousands of volunteers to keep his A+ rated kitchen running smoothly. He personally trains our volunteer teams and makes them feel right at home.
Please share 1 of their major accomplishments in the last year, in their efforts to create equitable access to food assistance.
To ensure that families have agency over their meals, Chef Eric and his team created a feedback form for their menu, giving guests the opportunity to share their preferences. He also established an equitable system that ensures culturally diverse clients can enjoy dishes from their home countries while staying at their "Home away from Home." This commitment to inclusivity and personalization demonstrates his deep care for the well-being and comfort of the families he serves.
We are not a traditional partner that the Hunger Coalition may come across. None the less people like Chef Eric are out there making a difference in thousands of lives everyday with something as simple as providing a comforting meal and a space to build community with other families who are experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety.
Nominee #3 – Dr. Amanda McClain - San Diego State University, Associate Professor
Why are you nominating this person for the Hunger Fighter Award? How have they impacted their community?
I am nominating Dr. McClain because of her exceptional ability to inspire and empower students who are on the cusp of careers in nutrition. Through her teaching, mentorship, and research, she encourages students to become part of the long-term solutions that address health inequities. Dr. McClain dedicates her professional and personal life to combating food insecurity, raising awareness about the consequences of food deserts, and leading social impact initiatives centered on community-based nutrition.
As a former student, I can personally attest to the profound influence Dr. McClain has had on my career trajectory. While I was on the path to becoming a dietitian, it was her passion, guidance, and commitment to serving marginalized communities that ignited my desire to give back to my San Diego community. She not only teaches nutrition, but also instills in her students the importance of social responsibility and advocacy.
Dr. McClain exemplifies the ideal of “be the change you wish to see in the world”. Her work shines a light on the pervasive issue of food insecurity, an often invisible crisis for those not directly affected. She brings attention to the long-term implications for marginalized populations, encouraging us all to think beyond individual health to broader systemic challenges. Her ability to inspire this kind of awareness and action makes her a transformative force in the field of nutrition and public health.
Please share 1 of their major accomplishments in the last year, in their efforts to create equitable access to food assistance.
Dr. McClain’s past, present, and future research focuses on reducing health and nutrition disparities by investigating how human, social, material, and cultural factors intersect with broader ecological and life course elements. Her work explores how the stress of marginalization, particularly food insecurity, influences dietary choices, cardiometabolic risks, and overall health.
Using community-based and social science approaches, Dr. McClain examines how these stressors impact marginalized populations and their allostatic load (cumulative biological stress). At the same time, her research seeks to identify existing community capacities for behavior-change interventions. These interventions, embedded in current systems like federally-qualified health centers and food assistance programs, aim to alleviate stress, improve food security, and promote health equity.
Nominee #4 – Monica Rodriguez - Neighborhood Healthcare, Community & Patient Liaison
Why are you nominating this person for the Hunger Fighter Award? How have they impacted their community?
Community and Patient Liaison Monica Rodriquez spearheads Neighborhood Healthcare’s food drive initiatives that serviced more than 10,000 families. Monica and the non-profit organization recognize that health is about more than just vaccines and checkups. It also includes eliminating barriers to enabling individuals and families to live best life, whether financial, social, or otherwise. Neighborhood Healthcare believes a healthy community is a thriving one.
With this in mind, Monica and the organization conduct monthly food drives in collaboration with Feeding San Diego to provide nutritious food to Escondido residents at no cost. Feeding San Diego provides fresh produce and dry goods, including pantry staples, to Neighborhood Healthcare on the first Saturdays of every month to be distributed from 1 to 3 PM at its Date Street in downtown Escondido. Additionally, Monica and the non-profit healthcare organization offer CalFresh enrollment assistance to its patients who qualify as well as those who attend these food distributions. Neighborhood Healthcare’s experienced Certified Enrollment Counselors, trained and staffed thanks to a grant from organizations like the Albertsons/Vons Foundation and the San Diego Hunger Coalition, answer any questions individuals and families may have about CalFresh and other programs.
In conducting all these community-facing activities, Monica and Neighborhood Healthcare practice its "Better Together" mantra to improve the communities in which Neighborhood Healthcare proudly serves.
Please share 1 of their major accomplishments in the last year, in their efforts to create equitable access to food assistance.
In the last year alone, Neighborhood Healthcare, provided food to more than 3,000 families and enrolled over 1,000 families in CalFresh. These community-facing activities showcase Monica and Neighborhood Healthcare’s commitment to the organization’s "Better Together" mantra to improve the communities in which Neighborhood Healthcare proudly serves.
Nominee #5 – Rosa Ruesga - Community Health Worker Promotora, SBCS
NOMINATED BY THREE SEPARATE STAFF MEMBERS FROM SBCS
Why are you nominating this person for the Hunger Fighter Award? How have they impacted their community?
She is a person who goes above and beyond, always willing to help. She provides a lot of CalFresh support to the community. She is very hard-working and respectful of the Chula Vista community.
Please share 1 of their major accomplishments in the last year, in their efforts to create equitable access to food assistance.
She was working with migrants for 6 months , she never was tired always open to help who need it. She helps parents from various schools to apply for CalFresh.
Nominee #6 – Meg Storer - 211 San Diego, Chief of Staff
Why are you nominating this person for the Hunger Fighter Award? How have they impacted their community?
This person has been a champion for change and leader in supporting multiple food programs during and after the COVID pandemic
Please share 1 of their major accomplishments in the last year, in their efforts to create equitable access to food assistance.
In the last year she has gathered countless support for services that help the community avoid hunger and raise awareness of community needs.
Nominee #7 – Maribel Valle - Escondido Union School District, Family Liaison
Why are you nominating this person for the Hunger Fighter Award? How have they impacted their community?
Every single month in a sunny, rainy, windy, and/or cold day Maribel is coordinating the Food Distribution at Farr Elementary School. She treats all the families and volunteers with love and respect. Maribel Valle deserves that recognition because of her hard work for the sake our community.
Please share 1 of their major accomplishments in the last year, in their efforts to create equitable access to food assistance.
Maribel releases the food distribution calendar at the beginning of the school year, and also month after month keep communicating with families to remind about the services.
Nominee #8 – Kristen Kellogg & Amanda Thurman - Point Loma Nazerene University, Health Promotion Clinic, Family Nurse Practitioners
Why are you nominating this person for the Hunger Fighter Award? How have they impacted their community?
Dr. Kellogg and Dr. Thurman, Family Nurse Practitioners are hunger champions for underserved patients in the clinic setting. Both of their doctorates in nursing have focused on identification and treatment of food insecurity. They implemented screening with the Hunger Vital Sign in the health care setting and have studied the effects of healthy food boxes on cardiometabolic health. They have disseminated their findings at multiple conferences and continue to be passionate about hunger alleviation.
Please share 1 of their major accomplishments in the last year, in their efforts to create equitable access to food assistance.
Dr. Kellogg and Dr. Thurman, in conjunction with Mid City Church of The Nazarene and Feeding San Diego, have recently opened a fresh food marketplace at their clinic site. This allows direct referral for patients who screen positive for food insecurity, to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables at the clinical site. This service is open to the community. Plans are to further partner with Feeding San Diego to increase operating hours and increase food rescue from partnering organizations.
