Hand Up Youth Food Pantry is a program of Jewish Family Service of San Diego.  With more than 50 programs and services to respond to the needs of the entire community, JFS is "one source for a lifetime of help."

Click Here to learn more about JFS.

With the 2011-2012 Hand Up Teen Leadership Program year complete, what better way to end things than a celebration?  This year, Hand Up teens exceeded goals, volunteering more than 2,700 hours, collecting more than 11,600 pounds of food, and raising more than $11,400.  The teens were recognized by Congressman Duncan. D. Hunter, Assemblymember Toni Atkins, and Mayor Jerry Sanders as well as receiving the Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award.

Congratulations to Sibo Cai, one of the co-chairs of the Student Advisory Board, for receiving the California Hunger Fighter Award at Hunger Action Day in Sacramento on May 17, 2012. The California Hunger Action Coalition, a broad-based membership organization of food program providers,
consumers and advocates from throughout the state, bestows Hunger Fighter Awards every year to individuals and organizations that exhibit a commitment to ending hunger though innovative and collaborative approaches.

Congratulations to the 19 new Student Advisory Board members. We are so excited to have you involved this year. They represent 11 different high schools from across San Diego. We look forward to seeing you at the mandatory two-day Teen Leadership Retreat in October.

This year's Hand Up Teen Leadership Program annual summer leadership retreat included ropes corses, climbing walls, and vision boards to plan encourage team work and creative planning for the upcoming year. Since then, the Hand Up teens have volunteered more than 2,700 hours of volunteer work, coordinated 41 food drives, and secured more than 11,000 pounds of donated food.

-Temple Emanu-El for collecting 1362 pounds of food this year!
-Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA for collecting 134 pounds of food to support Hand Up!
-South Bay Family YMCA for donating 272 pounds of food!
-Seacrest Village Retirement Communities for collecting 144 pouns of food!
-Torrey Pines High School students for collecting 80 pounds of food!
-Leichtag Family Foundation for providing financial support of our One in Seven screenings.
-Tifereth Israel for collecting over 223 pounds of food this year!