Modernizing Medicine’s Volunteer Day Off: San Diego Food Bank

In honor of Modernizing Medicine’s efforts to give back to the community, Mari Magstadt, Shelley Olesen and I spent an unforgettable day of philanthropy at the San Diego Food Bank.

At the heart of our nation’s struggle to provide the basic necessities for survival to all of its citizens, lies the acute challenge of feeding those who are less fortunate. Our grass roots effort to tackle this very problem led us to the doorstep of a non-profit organization designed to address the hunger epidemic across a vast geographic area comprising 4,200 sq. miles with 155 distribution sites visited each month. And the statistics are staggering. In fiscal year 2010 to 2011, the San Diego Food Bank distributed 20,411,940 lbs. of food, comprising approximately 15,946,828 meals to individuals and families in need of sustenance. On average, the Food Bank feeds over 350,000 people across San Diego County per month, including chronically hungry school children and low-income seniors.

While lending a hand to this quest to combat hunger on our Volunteer Day Off, we weighed, bagged and tagged barrels of pinto beans. Though seemingly a simple task, the impact that this contribution will have on the community at large is, as the statistics demonstrate, not to be ignored. And the experience was incredibly fulfilling. Thankfully, Modernizing Medicine is dedicated to giving back and extending its reach beyond the company’s already established success in improving treatment and business outcomes.