September is Hunger Awareness Month

Hunger Awareness Month

Working Families, Hungry Realities

This Hunger Awareness Month, new data makes something clear: work is not always enough to keep food on the table in San Diego County. According to United Way of San Diego County's Real Cost Measure study, part of the statewide Real Cost Measure research from United Ways of California, 97% of local households who can't cover their basic living costs have at least one working adult.

Full time, part time, or juggling more than one job, hunger here doesn't discriminate by employment status. This September, we're asking our community to look past the assumption that a job guarantees stability and to understand what's really driving hunger at home.

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97%

of households unable to meet basic costs have at least one working adult

(United Ways of California, 2025)

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6th most expensive:

San Diego's ranking among U.S. housing markets

(Redfin, 2026)

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25%

of county residents, including 219,000 children, face nutrition insecurity

(San Diego Hunger Coalition, March 2025)

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$7/hour:

the wage gap San Diego workers face against the national average once cost of living is factored in

(San Diego Regional EDC, 2025)

The Math Doesn't Add Up

A San Diego County family of four needs more than $116,000 a year to cover basic expenses, according to the Real Cost Measure study — that's the equivalent of three full-time minimum-wage jobs.

Meanwhile, the basics keep getting more expensive. Add rising transportation, grocery, and child care costs on top of that gap, and food becomes one of the few flexible expenses left in a family's budget, which is exactly why it's often the first thing cut.

In Their Own Words

Hunger Is a Systems Issue, Not a Personal One

When someone falls short, it's often because rent, child care, and transportation have climbed faster than paychecks. Temporary setbacks, a reduced shift, a medical bill, or a car repair, can be enough to tip a working household into needing help. And the effects don't stay temporary. Children who grow up with unreliable access to food can carry the impacts into their health and education for years.

I Support A Hunger-Free San Diego sticker.

Our Community Is Stronger When Everyone Has Enough

Food security is the foundation that lets kids focus in school, employees show up for shifts, and neighbors contribute back to the community around them. Every neighbor served, every partner supported, and every advocate who speaks up moves us closer to a county where a paycheck and a full refrigerator aren't mutually exclusive.