Director's Note: August 2025

Change is the name of the game around here! We’ve seen personnel changes, new positions and improvements to several programs. Fortunately, our staff and volunteers are the best! They’re all mission-focused and adaptable, which means we’re providing more help to more people than ever before!

For starters, I was asked by the Board of Directors to assume the permanent Director’s role, which I’d been doing as an interim position since Susan Fleming left TACO last September. It’s an honor to lead this group of people and I’m so proud of the work we do here!

This spring, Bobby Jeffries was hired as TACO’s chef! Bobby’s so resourceful. He can turn any random ingredients we have hanging around into a delicious feast for two hundred people! Prior to TACO, he was head chef at East County Transitional Living Center for many years. We’re lucky to have him.

Our own staff member, Lane, was recently given new responsibilities including maintaining our social media accounts. Before coming to TACO in 2023, Lane spent years in sales & marketing and will help form TACO’s ongoing messaging strategy.

Other bits of news:

• Our kitchen is A-Rated! To ensure quality and to help qualify for more grants, we cleaned and organized and earned an A-Rating from San Diego County!

  
  

• Showers return to TACO! Twice a month, our own custom, shower-trailer is brought to our parking lot and we help nearly a hundred people get a shower and clean clothes, every month!

  
  

• Enjoy our refreshed website! We’ve added new photos and information on all the programs we offer. https://www.tacosd.org 

  
  

• Expanded social worker hours! Beginning in September, we’ll be expanding available hours for our social worker, Leo Groenenberg-Violette, MSW, to enable him to help more people connect with the services and programs they qualify for.

Whether you’re a new volunteer or a decades-long donor, TACO appreciates your commitment to our mission and cause. TACO is a special community and your role is important. As the demands increase and the challenges rise, you’re more important than ever. We are glad you’re in the fight with us!

Lorena Galligan

Director, Third Avenue Charitable Organization