We’re a diverse group of San Diegans with something powerful in common: a love of food and healthy eating, and a desire to give back to our community by helping the less fortunate. We are chefs and food writers, nutritionists, farmers market vendors, restaurant owners, parents, teachers, computer engineers, bankers and just people who simply love our community and want all of its members to thrive.

Just Call Us Volunteers began in 2005, when we started preparing and serving healthy holiday meals to San Diego County winter shelter residents. In the past six years, Just Call Us Volunteers has served 20,000 meals. We now offer this service year round through our partnership with the Alpha Project.

In February 2010, Just Call Us Volunteers launched what has become a successful volunteer program at Olivewood Gardens in National City. We bring guest chefs and others in the food community to this magical property to teach hands-on cooking classes to low-income children in grades 4 to 6 from the National City School District. In this past year Just Call Us Volunteers has brought over 80 chef volunteers, along with sous chefs and kitchen helpers, to Olivewood Gardens. As the program has grown in popularity, it has expanded, and we continue to coordinate the classes as well as serve our homeless neighbors healthy meals twice monthly.

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Chef Julie Darling President and Founder of Just Call Us Volunteers

Chef Julie Darling was born and raised in San Diego in a family who believed in giving back. Julie’s mom was in the Junior League of San Diego and Julie was invited to join their ranks in 1980. She was active in JLSD for 13 years. She was also a member of Rotary for many years.

Julie has served on many committees, chaired several fundraising events and donated her catering services to numerous charities including the Charity Ball, Starlight Opera, Art Alive, Helen Woodward’s Spring Fling, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego Center For Children, St Madeline Sophie, Fruit of the Soul, Les Dames D’Escoffier and Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center to name a few.

Julie continues her work as President and founder of Just Call Us Volunteers. Julie is as interested in serving nutritious meals to San Diego’s homeless adults as she is in teaching healthy eating behaviors to low income children. She launched cooking classes at Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center in Feb 2010. In it’s first year, 5000 students visited and over 75 guest chefs came to teach the kids. Julie also attended the First Lady’s White House launch of Chef’s Move to School in June 2010. She continues to be one of the organizers of Let’s Move San Diego, which pairs chefs with schools. Julie is convinced that getting back to the basics of nutrition with fresh vegetables and clean meat will significantly help our children thrive and might even lower health care costs for our children, disadvantaged and homeless alike.

Julie lives with her therapy dog Cami and her kitty Zoe. Cami has a weekly visiting schedule at The San Diego Center for Children, a group home for foster kids.