Mama's Kitchen

‘Twas the day before Christmas, when all through the kitchen, dozens of cheerful volunteers gathered to pitch in. More than 7,000 meals were packed with special holiday fare, and delivered to neighbors in-need with extra love and care. Happy holiday wishes to all. Thanks to all our volunteers, donors and community partners who make today’s delivery and all deliveries of medically tailored meals to our critically ill neighbors possible. #HappyHolidays

This hardworking and generous group of volunteers from the Masons of California San Diego Lodge #35 packed 610 salads and staged 500 bags in preparation for client meals! Thank you to DeAndre Simmons, Mohamad Yassin, David Vassall, Josh Sanders, and Tony Romano for your dedication to feeding our critically ill neighbors.

Mama’s Kitchen is celebrating our longstanding partnership with TD Ameritrade! For years, the TD Ameritrade team has supported Mama’s Kitchen through both volunteering and donations. We are grateful for the generous $25,000 Community Grant we received in August 2020 for our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. This grant has made a significant impact as we continuously respond to a drastic increase in need for our services throughout the pandemic. Additionally, just a couple of weeks ago, four TD Ameritrade employees helped our team prepare for our Tree of Life Ceremony, in honor of World AIDS Day. Thank you TD!

#GivingTuesday is here! And this year, GivingTuesday falls on World AIDS Day. Today has incredible meaning and power for Mama’s Kitchen. As a nonprofit established 30 years ago in response to the AIDS epidemic, World AIDS Day has always been an important day of remembrance and hope. And now, in 2020, a year when we could all use some extra hope, these two days align. GivingTuesday has become a global movement, a day when people and communities unite to give back. If you a...re inspired to join the movement, we hope you will consider a GivingTuesday gift to fund meals for critically ill San Diegans battling HIV, cancer, and other critical illnesses. A gift of $25 provides 10 meals this holiday season. Ways to support: Donate - https://www.mamaskitchen.org/dona/make-a-one-time-donation/ Share - this post along with why Mama’s Kitchen inspires you on your social channels Fundraise - host your own fundraising page (visit our website)

Join us virtually for the 29th Annual Tree of Life Ceremony in honor of World AIDS Day. Every year, Mama’s Kitchen and the Village Hillcrest commemorate World AIDS Day by recognizing and remembering those affected by AIDS, as well as the ongoing leadership efforts made to end the epidemic. It will be an evening of special memories, holiday musical performances, a tree lighting and vigil candle lighting to honor those affected by AIDS. You can dedicate a heart ornament in memo...ry of a loved one, in honor of a friend, or write a message of support in the comments upon checkout. We will write your message on a white paper heart that will be placed in a heart ornament and hung on the tree in the center of the Village Hillcrest Plaza on the night of the event and throughout the whole month of December. Purchase your ornament here: https://support.mamaskitchen.org//tree-of-life-2020/e309441 No heart purchase is necessary to view the virtual event

Mama's Kitchen volunteers are what have made our 30 years (and counting) of service to San Diegans possible. Without their generosity, kindness and flexibility, our critically ill neighbors would not receive the much needed nutrition that they deserve. Become a part of this special group of individuals! Our next volunteer orientation is happening virtually on Monday, October 19 at 5:00 p.m. For more information visit https://www.mamaskitchen.org/v/volunteer-orientation-dates/

Get your fork ready and your belt loosened for Mama's Kitchen's sweetest event of the year! Order your Thanksgiving pie from Mama's Pies Thanksgiving Bake Sale now through Saturday, November 21st. Your pies will be baked and donated with love by local bakeries, restaurants and caterers and will be ready for pickup on Wednesday, November 25 at one of our public drive-through pickup locations. Each pie sold provides 12 meals to a critically ill San Diegan. For more informati...on or to order click on the link below. https://mamaspies.eventbrite.com See more

Mama's Kitchen is looking to add two rock stars to our team! We have one position for a part-time delivery driver and another for a part-time bookkeeper. If you're passionate about our mission to provide nutritious food to our critically ill neighbors, we invite you to apply! For more details visit https://www.mamaskitchen.org/jobs/

Together we raised $74,215 to fund 29,686 meals towards our 30th birthday wish! It was our goal to raise $75,000 to fund 30,000 meals in 30 days, and thanks to your support we got so close to our goal. Thank you for celebrating our 30 years of impact. These meals will ensure Mama’s Kitchen can continue to provide nourishing food for all critically ill San Diegans in need, now, and for many more birthdays to come.

WE'RE ALMOST THERE! Just 7,000 more meals! We need to fund just 7,000 more meals to hit our goal of funding 30,000 meals in 30 days in honor of our 30th birthday! Today is the last day to make a BIRTHDAY GIFT to Mama’s Kitchen’s 30th Birthday campaign to help us reach this goal. Thank you to everyone who has funded meals to help us get this far. And a special thanks to The Hay Foundation for sponsoring 10,000 meals towards our goal. https://support.mamaskitchen.org/mamas30th

Did you know that since March, Mama's Kitchen has added 20 new delivery routes -- for a total of 56 routes -- to fulfill the increased demand for our services throughout San Diego County? Help us maintain those routes by becoming a volunteer delivery driver! To learn more about this and other opportunities, attend our next volunteer orientation, happening virtually on Thursday, October 1 at 5 p.m. For more information visit https://www.mamaskitchen.org/volunteer/opportunities/

We have expanded the scope of our organization’s services to provide home-delivered meals to individuals battling chronic kidney disease! This expansion was made possible thanks to a generous $100,000 grant from the Cushman Foundation’s Making a Difference for San Diego initiative. As many as 5,000 San Diegans are experiencing stage 4 Chronic Kidney Disease, which is currently the 9th leading cause of death in the U.S. Through this expansion, neighbors at risk of malnutrition battling this disease can receive medically tailored nutrition, designed to heal, at no cost. Learn more - https://www.mamaskitchen.org/about-us/news/

This past Wednesday morning Mama's Kitchen longtime volunteer and supporter Pat Pasquill, along with two of our team members, Angel Zamora and Grace Galloway, showed their support of the San Diego LGBT Community Center by participating in the AIDS Walk & Run San Diego! This small yet mighty trio completed the walk's route to show their support of The Center’s HIV services and prevention efforts as well as another 10 local organizations that provide services to San Diegans who are affected by HIV -- all benefiting from this important fundraiser. Join AIDS Walk & Run San Diego's official opening ceremonies which will be livestreamed tomorrow, Saturday, September 26 starting at 10am. You can find the link to the ceremony by visiting aidswalksd.org.

As you may know, this month is Mama's Kitchen's 30th birthday! And it's our birthday wish to fund 30,000 meals in 30 days, by the end of September. We’re reaching for this goal to provide healing nutrition for every critically ill neighbor in need this year, and for many more years to come. Will you help us spread the word by hosting a fundraising page or making a donation? We have currently funded just 7,376 meals of our 30,000 meal goal. Just a few clicks and shares can help fund dozens of meals for our critically ill neighbors in need. You can become a Mama's Kitchen Meal Superhero by setting up a quick and easy fundraising page and sharing it with friends on social media or within your network. It's easy and fun! https://support.mamaskitchen.org/mamas30th

As we continue to accommodate the increased demand in our Home-Delivered Meal Service, we actively seek to add volunteer drivers to help us! Help our critically ill neighbors receive the meals that they desperately need. Join us today at 4 p.m. to learn about becoming a volunteer driver and the impact that you will make. Visit https://www.mamaskitchen.org/v/volunteer-orientation-dates/ for details.

As we celebrate our 30th Birthday of cooking and delivering meals to critically ill San Diegans, we reminisce on how it all began. Established in 1990 by Laurie Leonard, a San Diego caregiver who was deeply concerned about her neighbors suffering from the AIDS epidemic, a group of volunteers was formed to cook and deliver free meals to individuals who were unable to shop for groceries or cook for themselves due to the debilitating effects of AIDS. At the height of the epidemi...c, when even some hospitals were turning AIDS patients away, volunteers came together to combat the stigma and ensure that those suffering were receiving one of their most basic rights nutritious food. By the end of our first year of service, Mama's Kitchen volunteers served 26 clients and delivered 21,486 meals. Since then, we have used our experience with AIDS nutrition to replicate our Home-Delivered Meal Service program for other critically ill populations. Thank you for being on this journey with us! https://support.mamaskitchen.org/mamas30th

September 2020 marks Mama’s Kitchen’s 30th birthday, and birthdays are incredibly special at Mama’s Kitchen! Did you know that we deliver a healthy cupcake (with a candle and card) to every single client for their birthday? For some of our critically ill clients, it can be the only birthday wish they receive each year. As of this month, Mama’s Kitchen has been delivering life-affirming nutrition and hope, on birthdays and everyday, for 30 years! While 2020 has brought its sh...are of challenges, we couldn’t let September pass without recognizing and celebrating with our community of supporters who have undeniably helped us take care of our neighbors. In the spirit of this celebration we are blowing out our candles and making a wish to fund 30,000 meals in 30 days. Help us celebrate by funding (or fundraising for) 30, 60, 120 or more meals for San Diegans battling HIV, cancer, and other critical illnesses. At an average cost of $2.50 per meal for food and packaging, we hope to raise $75,000 by the end of our September birthday celebration to fund 30,000 meals. Will you join us? https://support.mamaskitchen.org/mamas30th

WE MET THE MATCH! We are thrilled and grateful to announce that we have met the $25,000 Matching Challenge initiated by Sycuan Casino Resort! THANK YOU to everyone who contributed towards this challenge campaign to unlock an additional $25,000, now raising more than $50,000 in support of our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to provide healthy home-delivered meals to critically ill San Diegans. And of course, a big thank you to Sycuan Casino Resort and the Sycuan Band of the K...umeyaay Nation for offering this generous matching gift and for more than 20 years of dedicated support of Mama's Kitchen and our community. After learning about the 63% increase in demand we have experienced as a result of the pandemic, Sycuan announced they would generously match dollar-for-dollar all donations towards our Emergency Response Fund, up to $25,000. Thank you for making our mission and work possible.

Mama's Kitchen and other members of the Food is Medicine Coalition are proud to support the Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meal Demonstration Pilot Act of 2020 (H.R. 6774) introduced by the members of the Bipartisan Food Is Medicine Working Group: Congressman Jim McGovern MA (D), Congresswoman Chellie Pingree ME (D), Congressman Roger Marshall, M.D. KS (R), and Rep. Jackie Walorski IN (R). This bill would establish a Medicare pilot program to address the critical ...link between diet, chronic illness, and the health of older adults. This proposal will ensure that medically vulnerable seniors get access to lifesaving medically tailored meals in their home, while providing the outcomes data we need to build a more resilient and cost-effective health care system. Both goals are even more critical during the pandemic, as we endeavor to keep the elderly especially those living with severe and chronic illnesses healthy and at home. To learn more about this work and the bill, visit http://www.fimcoalition.org/legislation3 #MTMBill #FoodIsMedicine #MedicallyTailoredMeals