SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Food Bank has a reason to be grateful as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.
Just one month ago, the agency was struggling to keep up with a dramatic increase in the number of people asking for assistance due to the federal government shutdown.
“We saw a 50% increase of people coming to get food. People who were furloughed, not getting checks, then people who were getting delayed in getting their SNAP benefits,” said Michael Guerra, the food bank’s chief philanthropy officer. “Our shelves were depleted.”
Now, however, Guerra said there has been a turn for the better, at least when it comes to the food bank’s supplies. He said generous people all across the city have helped in a big way.
“The community is helping us restock,” he said. “We’re seeing food drives, a record number of food drives.”
While the number of extra mouths to feed hasn’t exactly dropped off, Guerra said the food bank is having somewhat of an easier time meeting its daily needs.
The holidays, though, continue to be a busy time for the agency.
On Friday morning, a steady stream of cars filed through the food bank’s drive-thru, where volunteers loaded boxes of food into them.
Guerra said crews had been busy all week preparing for a list of food giveaways in advance of Thanksgiving.
He said in all, he expected to give out about 10,000 turkeys to families, along with supplies for side dishes, in time for the holiday.
But right now, Guerra said, the food bank still needs about 3,000 turkeys to meet that goal.
The food bank is holding a turkey donation drive Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at all H-E-B Plus stores.
“People can stop by and donate a turkey while they’re shopping for their Thanksgiving meals themselves,” Guerra said.
It’s a chance for people to step up to the plate and help fill others’ plates.
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