On June 9th, 2024, members from 1st San Diego, 2nd San Diego, and Temecula Church of God joined with the TRUTH Club in UCSD for the ASEZ Forum to combat issues related to food insecurity in our local communities.
The ASEZ forum was held inside the Price Theater at University of California San Diego, and approximately 250 members of the church and 30 guests attended. The “TRUTH” club established at UCSD has the mission “Taking Real Understanding To Heart”. Under this mission, ASEZ members in the UCSD “TRUTH” Club were able to share the effects of food insecurity to many families living in San Diego County as well as throughout the world.
The host, Natalie, introduced ASEZ and shared about the good volunteer acts the volunteer group partake in throughout the world. ASEZ is a worldwide organization consisting of the Church of God university students volunteer group.
They were also awarded with the prestigious UNCCD Executive Secretary’s Award. The work of ASEZ is cornered around the 4 letter SAVE, which is abbreviated from Social Service, Awareness Raising, Victim Relief and Environment Protection.
The ASEZ youth organizations have received the silver and gold Green Apple Environment Awards in the United Kingdom. Presented by the Green Organisation, The Green Apple Award is rewarded for environmental best practices around the world. In 2020, ASEZ received the Green World Gold Award, a prestigious award and one of the top environment awards campaigns on the planet.
The presenters, Jihye, Tiara, Alyssa, and Bianca informed the attendees about food insecurity around the globe and in the county. Over 350,000 people in San Diego County are food insecure, including over 100,000 children. As of 2022, over 10% of the population in San Diego County was food insecure. Through the forum, we encouraged those who attended to get involved by volunteering, donating food, and spreading the word.
The final speaker was Casey Castillo, CEO of San Diego Food Bank. He informed the attendees about the efforts the Food Bank puts forth in assisting families of San Diego county through food drives, diaper drives, and etc. Casey was excited to work with ASEZ and stated, “I have also been grateful for the participation, the partnership, with this group (ASEZ). And seeing the amazing efforts and impact that ASEZ has throughout this county and also globally.”
Through continued partnerships with local organizations, ASEZ takes the lead in making a better world for those around them and has already had a global impact. ASEZ youth throughout campus in the United States are finding unique and impactful ways to make a lasting change. All those who attended the forum were moved by the impact ASEZ has already made and will continue to make in the future.
