Celebrating 125 Years of Service by Helping Local Families
As the La Mesa Woman’s Club celebrates its 125th Anniversary of service to the community, members are continuing a tradition that has been part of the Club since its founding in 1902: coming together to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
This September, the Club turned its attention to an issue affecting families across our community—food insecurity.
September is Hunger Action Month, a nationwide campaign created by Feeding America to raise awareness of hunger and inspire people to take action. In that spirit, the La Mesa Woman’s Club partnered with Feeding San Diego and the La Mesa Spring Valley School District to help support the school food pantry at Kempton Literacy Academy.
Welcoming Our Community Partners
The event brought together representatives from the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, Kempton Literacy Academy, Feeding San Diego, Feeding the Flock, and the La Mesa Woman’s Club.
Kathy Tinsley, President of the La Mesa Woman’s Club, welcomed everyone and expressed her appreciation for the community partners and Club members who helped make the food drive possible.
Joining the Club were:
- Ms. Roberta Ewing-Kuhns, Coordinator, Community Schools, La Mesa-Spring Valley School District
- Ms. Janet Josa (Hosa), Principal, Kempton Literacy Academy
- Ms. Pauline Jimenez, Community Schools Facilitator, Kempton Literacy Academy
- Ms. Wendy Feldhaus, Individual Giving Officer, Feeding San Diego
- Mr. Sam Duke, Director of Programs Feeding San Diego
- Ms. Debra Childers, President, Feeding the Flock
- Michelle Morris, Aspire Martial Arts
- Members of the La Mesa Woman’s Club
The gathering was a wonderful demonstration of what can happen when community organizations work together around a common goal—helping ensure that local students and families have access to food when they need it.
Filling a Pantry—and Helping Families
During the Club’s food drive, members and supporters collected non-perishable foods to help stock the Kempton school pantry. The drive flyer encouraged donations of items such as canned meats and fish, rice, pasta, beans, soup, canned fruits and vegetables, and other healthy, non-perishable foods. We appreciate the support of Johnnie and Michelle Morris, owners of Aspire Martial Arts who helped collect food items from their students and families and also served as a drop off point for food donations.
The collected food was presented to Kempton Literacy Academy to help provide much-needed meals and pantry staples for students and families experiencing food insecurity.
The Club is grateful to everyone who contributed food and helped make this effort possible. Every donated item represents an opportunity to help a student or family.
Supporting Feeding San Diego
In addition to the collection of non-perishable food items, the La Mesa Woman’s Club presented a $1,750 donation to Feeding San Diego to support its ongoing work addressing hunger in the community.
Feeding San Diego works with community partners to provide food and resources to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity, including programs that support children and families through their School Pantry Program.
The Club was pleased to have Wendy Feldhaus, Individual Giving Officer for Feeding San Diego, present to accept the donation on behalf of the organization.
Supporting Feeding the Flock
The Club also recognized the important role of Feeding the Flock San Diego. The organization helps care for neighbors through organized drive-through food distributions, senior pantry support, emergency food assistance, school partnerships, and compassionate outreach. Feeding the Flock has distributed over 100 thousand pounds of food to over 15 thousand families with over 9500 volunteer hours in 2026.
Debra Childers, President of Feeding the Flock San Diego, was presented with a $1,750 donation to support its work helping provide food assistance to those in need.
With $3,500 in combined financial donations to Feeding San Diego and Feeding the Flock, along with the substantial collection of non-perishable food items for the Kempton school pantry, the La Mesa Woman’s Club was proud to expand the impact of its Hunger Action Month project.
Together, We Can Make a Difference
Hunger Action Month reminds us that addressing food insecurity takes all of us—individuals, organizations, schools, food banks, volunteers, and community partners.
