This February, something special happened across San Diego County. For the first time, the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank invited the community to take part in Spread the Love, a monthlong nut butter drive designed to help keep our shelves stocked during one of the most challenging times of year for donations. And San Diegans answered the call.
Throughout the month, workplaces, schools, and community groups came together to collect jars of peanut butter and other nut and seed butters — small items that make a big difference for families. In total, 35 in-person food drive sites and 12 virtual food drives rallied their communities to participate. So far, these efforts have helped collect more than 2,300 pounds of nut butter, with more donations still being counted as food drives wrap up and collections continue.
Launching an all-new campaign takes a village, and we are deeply grateful to Safdie Rabines Architects, whose generous support as the Spread the Love campaign sponsor helped bring this inaugural effort to life. Their leadership made it possible for us to introduce this new tradition to the community. We are also grateful to our valued community partner, Singleton Schreiber, for helping amplify the campaign and encourage participation across the region.
Spread the Love got an incredible jump start even before February began. In late January, International Relief Teams delivered 28,776 pounds of shelf-stable nut and seed butters to our Miramar warehouse. The donation included thousands of jars of peanut butter and sunflower butter, items that are always in high demand because they provide an easy, protein-rich option that families can rely on.
Those jars are already making their way into the community through our nonprofit partner network — including partners like Got Your Back San Diego, a North County-based nonprofit partner that provides weekend food bags for children in local schools who have been identified as at risk of hunger. Thanks to Spread the Love, the organization recently received 1,620 pounds of peanut butter to help support its weekend food assistance program. For the students they serve, that means having nourishing food available when school meals are not.
Nut butter may seem simple, but it plays an important role in helping families stretch their grocery budgets while still accessing protein and nutritious food. With every jar donated, the community helped spread a little more love to neighbors who need it most.
As the final collections continue to arrive, we are grateful to everyone who hosted a drive, made a donation, or helped spread the word. The success of this inaugural campaign demonstrates what’s possible when a community comes together with a shared purpose. Thank you for helping us truly spread the love this February, San Diego!