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Father Joe's Villages Lunch Program Receives $2M Grant From Unnamed Donor

Father Joe Carroll shakes hands at Kevin Faulconer's election night party on Feb. 11, 2014.
Nicholas McVicker
Father Joe Carroll shakes hands at Kevin Faulconer's election night party on Feb. 11, 2014.

Father Joe's Villages on Wednesday announced a $2 million gift that will fund its lunch program and scheduled a Friday news conference to reveal the donor's identity.

The program will be named in honor of the so far unidentified donor, who was described by the social services agency as a local businessman and philanthropist.

Father Joe's Villages, founded by semi-retired Father Joe Carroll, serves around 700-900 lunch meals a day to the area's homeless and hungry. The organization estimates the money will fund 300,000 meals over the next five years.

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Father Joe's officials say San Diego is home to the fourth-largest population of homeless individuals in the U.S. and the third-largest population of homeless veterans.