ENCINITAS — Last month, San Dieguito Academy boys’ lacrosse assistant and junior varsity head coach Vinnie Whibbs asked his players a pair of questions — one easy, one not.
How many had younger siblings? Hands shot up.
Did they know how many kids across San Diego County go to bed hungry? They didn’t.
According to data from the San Diego Food Bank and Feeding America’s “Map the Meal Gap” study, roughly 1 in 7 children in San Diego County are food insecure.
“Living in Encinitas, we live in a little bubble,” Whibbs told The Coast News. “How do we make sure everyone understands that people live in different worlds, and what can we do to help others who might be in need? A lot of people in San Diego County, and across the United States, just don’t have enough to eat. For me, that’s really alarming.”
On March 23, the San Dieguito Academy boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams held their third annual “Pull Up for Hunger” event, a fundraiser for the San Diego Food Bank.
At the center of the lacrosse field, a portable pull-up bar provided by the United States Marine Corps Recruiting Office became the focal point of the event, with players and coaches competing to complete the most repetitions while San Dieguito Academy community members watched. In the weeks leading up to the competition, students solicited donations across campus, while Whibbs secured five corporate sponsors.
Unlike in previous years, the track and field program also participated, bringing total involvement to roughly 80 San Dieguito Academy students. In all, the event raised $12,500 — more than double the total from its first year and $1,500 more than last year.
All proceeds were processed through the Food Bank’s online donation platform in coordination with CEO Casey Castillo, and Whibbs said every dollar raised provides two meals, translating to roughly 25,000 meals for families in need.
“I told the kids, we’re not giving anyone a handout — we’re just trying to give them a hand up,” Whibbs said.
Boys’ lacrosse player Dominic Cinzori led the competition with 30 pull-ups, edging assistant coach Vinnie Whibbs IV — the son of Vinnie Whibbs — by one repetition.
Morgan Lenact led the girls’ field with a 63-second bent-arm hang.
On March 26, the boys’ team spent an evening working at the San Diego Food Bank warehouse, helping prepare food boxes for senior citizens during an evening shift.
In total, the team assembled 660 boxes, representing 23,100 pounds of food and 7,920 meals, according to Whibbs.
“I love working with high school kids,” he said. “Who knows what goes in one ear and out the other. But I do think something about it resonated with them. As long as they walk away with a little more awareness of the reality we live in, that’s enough. It’s a wonderful cause, with direct impact on people right here in our community.”
Whibbs said he first became involved with the San Diego Food Bank during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The world was turned upside down,” he said. “I ended up having a lot of extra time on my hands, and the Food Bank was really easy to volunteer with.”
Looking ahead, Whibbs hopes to expand the event next year, bringing in additional San Dieguito Academy spring athletic teams and broadening student participation even further.
