Welcome to our Volunteer Page. Picky Eats Charities is focused on two objectives.
- Giving back to the San Diego community by supporting organizations that use the amazing power of food to help others. We look for opportunities that focus on providing good Picky Eats meals back to the community.
- Promoting Robotics and STEM education in our communities
To see the latest volunteer projects news updates that I’m currently working on, select “News” from the main menu and then “Volunteer News” or go to
https://www.pickyeats.org/category/volunteer-news/
Micro Philanthropy
I am not independently wealthy nor am I old enough to work. But anyone can give back to the community either through volunteering or through creative fundraising. Micro philanthropists are just people like you and me finding ways to raise money and helping our community. It can be a lemonade / cookie stand, car washes, etc.
Picky Eats gives back to the community every year. Through outreach and volunteer work, Picky Eats micro-philanthropy have raised over $5000.00. We raise money by doing the following:
- Pay it Forward Saturdays
- Once or twice every month, I cook a dish on Saturday from scratch and deliver it to friends, family, and patrons using my own personal savings. We make enough food for 7-10 families. No one is told in advance what I will be making or when they will be getting food. But if they do get picked, the food is free. We ask for nothing in return. But if they wanted to donate to Picky Eats they can.
- Secret – Those that give a donation to Picky Eats are automatically guaranteed to get another Saturday food delivery. We now have a wait list of patrons that want our food on Saturdays.
- Once or twice every month, I cook a dish on Saturday from scratch and deliver it to friends, family, and patrons using my own personal savings. We make enough food for 7-10 families. No one is told in advance what I will be making or when they will be getting food. But if they do get picked, the food is free. We ask for nothing in return. But if they wanted to donate to Picky Eats they can.
- Corporate Sponsorship
- Every year, Picky Eats will go to companies large and small to ask for sponsorship for local projects that support our causes. We would like to thank all the companies and individual owners that have donated to Picky Eats:
- Walmart
- Luna Grill
- Rubio’s
- Jersey Mikes
- Panera Bread
- Every year, Picky Eats will go to companies large and small to ask for sponsorship for local projects that support our causes. We would like to thank all the companies and individual owners that have donated to Picky Eats:
- Patron Donations
- We thank all the generous donations over the years from our friends, families, and patrons!
All donations goes back to funding the Picky Eats Scholarship. Check out what I’m cooking at the link below
Pay It Forward Saturdays – Intro
Tackling food insecurity is a major goal of Picky Eats. Here are the projects we’re actively working on.
THE PICKY EATS SCHOLARSHIPS
The Picky Eats Scholarship has been created by me with the support of the San Diego Mesa College Foundation. This scholarship will be awarded every year and open to all community college students that work, and have children to take care of. The goal is to help tackle childhood hunger. The scholarship will also support any ongoing programs that tackle childhood food insecurity. NO CHILD SHOULD GO HOME HUNGRY AFTER SCHOOL! If you would like to donate to The Picky Eats Scholarship, please go to the link below:
http://weblink.donorperfect.com/pickyeats
INNOVATION GRANT AWARD TO PICKY EATS
San Diego Community College District awards Picky Eats, The Innovation Grant Award of $1500.00 Picky Eats will do a one year study of food insecurity amongst college students that work and also have children to take care of. We will test if college campus cafeterias can support a hot meal to children of college students. It’s hard enough for college students to work and go to school. Giving them the task of also cooking a healthy meal for their children can be overwhelming.
SAN DIEGO MESA COLLEGE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER
The Child Development Center is the preschool located on Mesa College’s campus. The preschool program is open to college students that study at the community college. The center is committed to meeting the individual needs of children, their parents, and college students. Their first priority is for families whose children are receiving child protective services or families who children are at risk of being neglected, abused, or exploited. Picky Eats is actively working on projects to address food insecurity amongst children. Below are just some of the projects we’re working on.
FARMERS MARKET TO PARENTS
Many families aren’t able to take advantage of the monthly free produce available to the community. They might be working full time, going to school, or not have transportation. Picky Eats will bring the farmers market to the Child Development Center. Picky Eats will then repackage the donations we get from the farmers market plus add additional food sources when available.
PRESCHOOL FOOD CARD TO CAFETERIA PROGRAM
Not all preschoolers go to school fed or knowing what they will have for dinner after school ends. Picky Eats is piloting a solution to use the community college cafeteria to help feed the kids. If the kids are hungry, the kids will be issued out a one time use $5.00 cafeteria food card to be used at the Mesa College cafeteria.
PRESCHOOL WINTER BREAK FOOD DRIVE
All preschoolers are provided meals while in class. For some kids, this might be their only meal for the day. When the preschool is closed for winter break (2 – 3 weeks), those daily meals are no longer available until schools starts again. Children shouldn’t have food insecurities during the holidays. Picky Eats has partnered with Walmart, Luna Grill, Rubio’s, Panera Bread, and Jersey Mikes to provide at least one meal a day for any parent that needs help during the holidays.
WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA
Every December, on National Wreaths Across America Day, holiday wreaths are placed at national cemeteries in all 50 states to remember all that have given their lives and to honor all our American heroes. We learned of this program through Jersey Mikes’ generous donation to Picky Eats. We wanted to give back to Jersey Mikes buy purchasing almost 100 wreaths for their charity.
Picky Eats is a big supporter of STEM Education and Robotics. Here are the projects we’re actively working on.
Encinitas Unified School District (EUSD)
I went to elementary school at El Camino Creek (ECC). It’s part of EUSD. I had my first taste of Robotics in 4th grade. ECC and the ECC PTA supported a First Lego League (FLL) Robotics Program. FLL not only taught me engineering and programming, but leadership and presentation skills as well. This is a great program. Even after graduating elementary, Myself and Picky Eats robotics volunteers continue to support this program. This will be our fourth year! Below are some of the projects we help for this program.
OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
Picky Eats provides the following operational support from May – December (2018 to present)
- Student and Team Management
- Robot Management – Lego EV3, SPIKE Prime
- IT Support – Laptops, Tablets: Installs, Updates, Troubleshooting:
- Accounting
- Webmaster
HYBRID FLL CURRICULUM
Picky Eats developed a one week hybrid robotics training program for LEGO EV3 and SPIKE prime. This is half online, and half hands on. Every student is provided all equipment needed for this curriculum. This includes laptop and robot.
MIDDLE SCHOOL FLL ROBOTICS FOR SDUHSD STUDENTS
Middle schools in San Dieguito Unified High School District don’t offer a continuing or bridge FLL robotics program. This means that if middle school students had participated in FLL in elementary school, they will have a two year gap of robotics until they go to high school. Picky Eats developed a program to allow middle school students to continue to do FLL until they reach high school.
FIRST LEGO LEAGUE ROBOT SUMMER CAMP DURING COVID
During the height of COVID in 2020, all summer camps were closed. This included YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Mira Costa College, and The City of Carlsbad. Picky Eats was one of the only STEM summer camps available to kids during that summer. In order to keep our mentors and students safe, we followed all COVID protocols, including disinfecting all robots and laptops after each use. We would deliver full robot kits to each students house and use Zoom on daily call to go through the exercises.
NEW ROOKIE SUMMER ROBOTICS TRAINING
CARLSBAD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (CUSD)
CARLSBAD EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION (CEF)
CUSD has nine elementary and three middle schools in their school district. Their robotics program is available in all their elementary schools and is funded by CEF. All elementary and middle schools have a FLL robotics program. Picky Eats is proud to be volunteer interns in helping support his program
UCSD SAN DIEGO Supercomputer Center
The UCSD San Diego Supercomputer Center is a pioneer in the study of computer science. It is a collaboration between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and General Atomics. SDSC is a big promotor of STEM education for K-12. Picky Eats works with SDSC to help develop and test quality STEM education.
COVID
Like many of you, Picky Eats has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The stay at home order and social distancing has greatly impacted Picky Eats ability to feed the community, specifically Bannister House and Fill a Belly. As of right now no food can be cooked even as volunteers for charitable organizations. Picky Eat will come back once stay at home orders have been lifted.
While one door has been temporarily closed, new doors have opened that isn’t directly related to food. Picky Eats mission has always been to use food to help the community. But because making and serving food is no longer allowed, Picky Eats will pivot to support other volunteer organizations until a time comes when we can cook again. We will also focus on fund raising to support our food charities.
Here are a couple of organizations Picky Eats have partnered with during this time.
Jewish Family Service
Jewish Family Service of San Diego is a large nonprofit organization that provides essential services to people regardless of religion, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ability, gender identity/expression, or sexual orientation. They provide Hand Up Food Pantry, Home Delivered Meals, and many other community programs. Picky Eats is proud to be a partner in making masks for JFS staff, volunteers, and medical staff. The cloth masks are custom sewn and made by Picky Eats and their team of volunteers. It takes about 45 minutes to make each mask.
Picky Eats, Face Mask, Food?
What does making face mask have to do with the organizations that Picky Eats support, Bannister House, Fill A Belly, etc? Making face mask helps fund, support and expand many of Picky Eats charities. In addition to making masks for Jewish Family Services, Picky Eats is also making personal mask for anyone that needs one. All we ask for is a small donation to support Picky Eats Charities.
From April to August 2020, Picky Eats has made personal face masks for friends and family and has raised over $300.00. Thank You for all those that have requested a face mask and donated to Picky Eats. And if anyone would like a face mask, let us know. We would love to make a face mask for you. The donation you make will also be tax deductible.
While it might not sound like much money to you, $300.00 can do the following:
Each monthly Bannister Meal Picky Eats cooks costs $50.00 to feed 15-20 people. Picky Eats can cook for six months.
Each weekly Fill a Belly event cost $10.00. Picky Eats can cook for eight months .
Picky Eats has decided the money raised by making face masks will not be used for funding Bannister House or Fill A Belly. These charities will continue to be funded by Aiden’s personal savings account and from food donations from friends and family.
The money raised will be used for funding a brand new charity to Picky Eats:
UCSD Bannister Family House
Bannister Family provides housing for family members that has a loved one that’s in medical care at UCSD Health. It is very similar to The Ronald McDonald House. There are a total of eight rooms at the Bannister House. Hot meals are cooked for the guests whenever volunteers are available. Once a month, along with my middle school friends, we cook a full dinner for the guests at the Bannister House. Picky Eats will experiment with a recipe a week prior. Then we will create a budget, prep, and then serve the food. I use my own college savings to help pay for part of the meal. Whenever possible, Picky Eats will use food banks to help cook the meals. We cook enough food to feed 15-20 people at a time.
Carlsbad / Encinitas
Fill A Belly
Fill-A-Belly is a organization that helps feed the homeless in the Encinitas / Carlsbad area. Volunteers are asking to bring a dish and break break with the community. Picky Eats will cook a dish from scratch and help serve the dish. Whenever possible, Picky Eats will use food banks and donations to help cook the meal.
Friends of Picky Eats
The following organizations help make some of what we do possible.
The Stand is a free farmers market sponsored by San Diego Mesa College that’s open once a month. The goal of the stand is to help alleviate food insecurity. It provides free produce to the students, staff, and community. Picky Eats will only take excess produce and use the donated food and turn it into a great meal.
Feeding San Diego connects and distributes food from donors like grocery stores, restaurants, farms, and restaurants, back to the community that otherwise would’ve have gone to waste or in a landfill. Picky Eats will use this donated food and turn it into a great meal.
Quilt in A Day is a San Diego based company that has graciously donated the much needed fabric material used to make faces mask. Picky Eats has partnered with Quilt in a Day to make mask by the volunteers of Picky Eats and San Diego Jewish Family Services.