Chapter 11

Suppression Notice

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Million Meal Event

Perm Diac icon

Million Meal Event

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…

– Matthew 25:35

Upcoming Event

San Diego Million Meal Event

People are assembling meal packages under a tent. One person, wearing a hairnet and jacket, reaches for a packet on a table filled with food bags, while others are engaged in the task nearby.

How to Participate

Since 2021, the Million Meal Event has packed more than 5 million meals for hungry families across the border and around the world. In 2026, this extraordinary event returns on June 13–14 at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, uniting our community to bring hope to our brothers and sisters living in poverty.

 

This year marks a powerful milestone. For the first time, we will pack 2 million meals in one event. One million meals will be distributed across the border and internationally, while one million meals will remain local, distributed by Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego to help feed families in need throughout our own community.

 

More than 5,100 volunteers will come together over two days to make this possible. Parish communities, service organizations, schools, and families are encouraged to participate as groups and help raise funds for the event. Our collective goal is to raise $600,000—and together, we can achieve it.

 

Sign up today and put your faith in action!

Get full details here:

Million Meal Event
Donate
Volunteer

Our Impact

Meals delivery in Tijuana

Thank You to San Diego Diocese

The food packed by volunteers in the Million Meal Event in June 2023 was distributed to the poorest families in Tijuana and Zambia.

The meal packets were tangible proof that individuals, families and parishes gladly put their faith in action to ease a child’s hunger and to bring them hope.

Support Us

Our Faith in Action

Million Meals Tijuana 2023

Million Meals Event 2023

Million Meals Zambia 2023

Million Meals Tijuana 2022

Million Meals Event 2022

Resources

Kids Around the World, Inc. (KIDS)

Casa de los Pobres USA

Contacts

Deacon Mike Daniels

Lead Event Coordinator
(St. Brigid Parish)
Mission Deanery

Caroline Kelner

St. Brigid Parish

Cathedral Deanery

Deacon James Scull
Ascension Parish

Mission Deanery

Deacon Mike Daniels
St. Brigid Parish

South Bay Deanery

Deacon Wil Hollowell
Corpus Christi Parish

El Cajon Deanery

Deacon Jerry Stenovec
St. Luke Parish

Escondido Deanery

Deacon Kevin Murray

Sacred Heart Parish (Coronado)

Oceanside Deanery

Deacon John Fredette
St. Thomas More Parish

El Centro Deanery

Deacon Domingo Enriquez
El Centro Catholic

Contact Information

Staff

Send Us A Message

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pulido’s coat of arms is divided into four quarters with wavy horizontal lines from top to bottom. The blue and white lines represent the Blessed Virgin Mary. They also suggest water, which alludes to Jesus washing the feet of His disciples and to the waters of baptism. The red and gold lines represent the Holy Spirit and fire. The colors also can be seen as referring to the Blood that (along with water) poured from Jesus’ side at His crucifixion, as well as to the bread (gold) and wine (red) transformed into the Eucharist. At the center is a roundel featuring a symbolic representation of the “mandatum” (washing of the feet), which he believes exemplifies service to all humanity. The roundel’s outer edge is a line composed of small humps; it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Yakima, where Bishop Pulido served as a priest before being named a bishop.

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pham’s coat of arms combines the Diocese of San Diego’s coat of arms on the left side, and his on the right. On his, a red boat on a blue ocean sits on diagonal lines suggesting a fisherman’s net. This symbolizes his ministry as a “fisher of men,” as well as how his own father had been a fisherman. The boat is also a symbol of the Church, which is referred to as the “barque of Peter.” At the center of the sail is a red beehive (a symbol of the bishop’s baptismal patron saint, St. John Chrysostom, known as a “honey-tongued” preacher). The beehive is surrounded by two green palm branches (an ancient symbol of martyrdom; the bishop’s ancestors were among Vietnam’s first martyrs). The eight red tongues of fire around the boat are a symbol of the Holy Spirit and a representation of the diversity of ethnic communities.

About the Coat of Arms

The coat of arms combines symbols that reflect Bishop Bejarano’s spiritual life and priestly ministry. The main part of the shield shows four wavy vertical lines on a gold background. These represent flowing waters. This alludes to his chosen motto and also symbolizes the graces that come from the Divine life to quench our thirst for God. The upper third of the shield is red because it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Order of Mercy, of which the Bishop’s patron saint, Raymond Nonnatus, was a member. The central symbol resembles a monstrance because St. Raymond is often depicted holding one. The Eucharist is Bishop Bejarano’s inspiration for his vocation. It was through the Eucharist that he received his call to the priesthood at age seven and which keeps his faith and his ministry going. It represents the call to offer oneself as a living sacrifice. The monstrance is flanked on either side by an image of the Sacred Heart, alluding to the mercy of God and echoing the idea of a sacrificial offering of oneself united to the sacrifice of Christ, and of a rose for Our Lady. It is an allusion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, and highlights the bishop’s Hispanic heritage.

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