Vista, CA- The Boys & Girls Club of Vista presented it’s prestigious “Have a Heart for Kids” award to Sue McLeod, of Got Your Back San Diego at the 2016 Diamond Ball Gala on May 14. This award is presented each year to one special individual that exemplifies “Outstanding Service to the Youth of Vista”.
Susan McLeod is the co-founder and corporate secretary of Got Your Back San Diego, a privately funded meal program that provides no-cost breakfast, lunch and dinner exclusively to local children here in San Diego while they’re not in school on the weekend. These kids depend on the meals provided by their school on weekdays. Each Friday, as part of a “nutrition club” the children enrolled in the program are given a backpack with homework assignments on nutrition along with their food. The “Club” helps recipients remain anonymous, thus protecting the dignity of the children receiving the backpacks. The kids are required to return empty backpacks on Monday in order to receive food for the following weekend.
Sue keeps volunteers and donors connected and engaged, procures food for the backpack program each week, and oversees volunteers. When you call Got Your Back, Sue is likely the friendly voice you’ll hear. Although exact quantities fluctuate week to week and month to month based on need, Got your Back San Diego provides an average of 250 backpacks each week to North County children. On average, 100 of those backpacks benefit Vista’s kids at 7 of our schools.
Sue and her co-founder and husband Bill live in Oceanside. Their two adult children and families live in Vista.
About the Boys and Girls Club of Vista – Since 1963, the Boys & Girls Club of Vista’s mission is to inspire and enable all kids ages 6-18 to help them reach their full potential as responsible and productive citizens. The Boys & Girls Club of Vista serves over 2000 youth ages 5-18 provides outcome-driven programs that emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles.
