Dear Friends,

It gives me great pride to share an exciting announcement, and milestone, for Mama’s Kitchen during our 30th birthday celebration. We have officially expanded the scope of our organization’s mission once again to now serve individuals battling chronic kidney disease. Mama’s Kitchen’s Home-Delivered Meal Service will now provide medically tailored nutrition to individuals battling HIV, cancer, type 2 diabetes, congestive heart failure, and 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. Now through this expansion, neighbors at risk of malnutrition battling this disease can be referred to our home-delivered meal program— and receive medically tailored nutrition, designed to heal, at no cost.

Why it was time to expand:

Even as demand for our current services grows, our leadership continues to evaluate and consider new populations where our nutrition services can affect long-term health. Knowing where to look next is an important balance of understanding the census of illnesses in our community, along with research on the positive impact of medical nutrition intervention.

We harness this knowledge through our decades of experience, our participation in the Food is Medicine Coalition, and our partnership with more than 228 health care professionals throughout San Diego. It is also through these local partnerships, that Mama’s kitchen works to reach our region’s most vulnerable populations.

Chronic kidney disease is complex, but research shows medically tailored nutrition can have a significant impact at slowing or even stopping its progression. Knowing this, and understanding the number of San Diego residents affected by chronic kidney disease, it became clear this expansion could have a significant impact on countless lives.

At Mama’s Kitchen we envision a community where all individuals with critical illnesses are no longer vulnerable to hunger. As we reflect on 30 years of service to the San Diego Community, we’re thankful for our supporters, Cushman Foundation, volunteers, community healthcare professionals, and staff for supporting this important work.

As I reflect on our history, I’m reminded of all the ways we’ve been helped by people like you and I am so grateful.

In celebration,

Alberto Cortés
Chief Executive Officer