SAN DIEGO – They’ve been the safety net for countless San Diegans going through hardships during the pandemic. Now, some area nonprofits could use support.

That’s the motivation behind the first-ever local day of giving, called San Diego Gives. It will be held Sept. 9 and more than 50 nonprofit organizations already have applied ahead of the Wednesday deadline.

One of the founding organizations, after school program A Step Beyond, joined FOX 5 to talk about why they want to see San Diego Gives become an annual event.

“We all know how important shopping locally is and eating locally, and San Diego Gives is all about giving locally,” James Wright, CEO of A Step Beyond, said. “It’s the first-ever local giving day in the region. Think of it like Giving Tuesday but to support nonprofits right here in the greater San Diego region helping individuals in need.”

Wright said many nonprofits struggled to keep up with demand as the needs of families increased during the pandemic, from food to housing and employment.

“For A Step Beyond, 75% of our families lost employment as a result of the pandemic, so our organization had to do a lot of crisis intervention work to support our families over the past year and a half,” he said.

San Diego Gives aims to support nonprofits that served as a safety net for so many families. Wright is encouraging San Diegans to visit the website and get their favorite nonprofits involved.

“We’re looking for more nonprofits in the community to apply to be part of this campaign. The application period ends at the end of June. Certainly if folks want to make a contribution before Sept. 9, that is certainly welcomed and appreciated,” Wright said.

The more than 50 nonprofits that already applied will receive more information in July.

“The hope is this becomes an annual tradition, and that we will have a San Diego Gives on every Sept. 9 moving forward,” Wright said.