'We just can’t feed this many' Vehicles start lining up before dawn as locals hit hard by economic effects of coronavirus seek aid from the San Antonio Food Bank.

'We just can’t feed this many' Vehicles start lining up before dawn as locals hit hard by economic effects of coronavirus seek aid from the San Antonio Food Bank.

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April 9, 2020

In perhaps the most sobering reminder yet of the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the San Antonio Food Bank aided about 10,000 households Thursday in a record-setting giveaway at a South Side flea market.

“It was a rough one today,” said Food Bank president and CEO Eric Cooper after the largest single-day distribution in the nonprofit’s 40-year history. “We have never executed on as large of a demand as we are now.”

Thursday’s drive-thru at Traders Village was the fourth such event for the Food Bank since March 31.

Over that desperation-filled 10-day span, the agency has fed about 15,500 households, with each distribution drawing more than the first. Cooper said the Food Bank is planning two more giveaways for next week, possibly on Tuesday and Friday, but he’s not sure it can get them done without help from “the National Guard or somebody.”

“Our staff and our volunteers, I don’t know if we can keep up the pace that the demand is requiring,” he said. “We’ve got to debrief and figure things out, but we just can’t feed this many people at one time without probably the Guard or somebody helping us.”

How to Help The San Antonio Food Bank needs volunteers to help prepare food boxes. You can also donate at safoodbank.org/donate.

About 6,000 households preregistered for Thursday’s distribution on the Food Bank’s website, Cooper said. But thousands more showed up, hoping to put something on their tables.

With so many unregistered families coming in beyond what was anticipated, the event didn’t end until nearly 6 p.m., some four hours after its scheduled closing time on a muggy day when temperatures soared into the 90s.

UPDATE: As photos go viral, pressure mounts to help S.A. Food Bank feed thousands

“We tried to qualify people on site,” Cooper said. “There were a few folks who showed up that didn’t qualify…but then there were those who showed up and said, ‘I heard this was happening. I didn’t know I had to register, but I need food. I am a hotel worker and I was laid off.’ Those are the stories we heard from a lot of people who showed up.”

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Thursday began with 1 million pounds of food on hand at Traders Village delivered by 25 tractor-trailer rigs. But with so many unexpected thousands and food running out, Cooper made the call to the Food Bank warehouse to send in more trucks loaded with food.

“The fishes and loaves went from 5,000 to 10,000, and there really wasn’t much left over,” Cooper said.

“It was a bit of a miracle that we were able to get done what we got done.”

With the Food Bank requiring preregistration and the distributions held in different parts of town, officials believe there were few repeat recipients.

“It fosters accountability,” Food Bank spokesman Michael Guerra said of the registration process. “We have $1.5 million worth of food here today, so we have to be good stewards of that.”

The majority of vehicles began lining up to enter the parking lot at Traders Village well before dawn for the 10 a.m. kick off, although at least one person arrived at 6 p.m. Wednesday and camped out overnight near the security guard station.

By 6 a.m. Thursday, the parking lot was full, with vehicles neatly lined up to make their way to stations where volunteers packed trunks with bags of beans, canned goods, fresh produce, milk and other supplies.

“It looked like prairie dogs out there, with all the people standing on top of their trucks, trying to get an eagle-eye view of the line to see how much longer they had to wait,” said Brian Billeck, marketing manager at Traders Village.

Billeck became emotional when talking about some of the people he saw in line.

“I saw some of our employees and vendors, and it brought me to tears,” Billeck said.

“It just breaks your heart. It’s not what you want to see.”

Yolanda Benavides, 63, described the aid from the Food Bank as being delivered by “angels from heaven” but admitted she had mixed feelings about receiving aid.

READ MORE: COVID-19 pandemic feels a lot like the Great Depression

“This hurts because I’ve always given and now we are on the other side,” said Benavides, who is disabled and cares for four grandchildren ages 6 through 17 with her husband, a recently laid off charter-bus driver.

“It would be rice and beans without this,” Benavides said.

The distributions are much-needed, officials say, but are seriously straining the Food Bank’s resources, so much so that Cooper has said he fears its warehouse could be empty in three weeks.

With thousands out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, demand at the Food Bank is off the charts.







Clockwise from top: Helpers Jennifer Byrnes (right) and Alisa Alonzo gather bags of split pea to load into cars. (Kin Man Hui | Express News) ; Heather Martinez greets and hands over two gallons of milk as thousands of people in cars - some waiting since late yesterday afternoon - gather at Traders Village to get food from the San Antonio Food Bank on Thursday, Apr. 9, 2020. (Kin Man Hui | Express News) ; Anthony Gaitan picks up bags of peaches to load into a vehicle. (Kin Man Hui | Express News) ; Helpers place food in the back of a car of a man seen wearing a mask in his mirror. (Kin Man Hui | Express News)

On the supply side, it has been more difficult for it to gather food because grocery stores have less surplus to donate due to panic buying depleting the shelves day after day. Restaurants who regularly donated food are now closed, shutting off yet another usually reliable Food Bank source.

To bridge the gap, the Food Bank is seeking $12 million worth of help from the state, filing a State of Texas Assistance Request with the Department of Emergency Management last week.

Still, Cooper said, the goal is to give families “the biggest grocery basket possible by way of their trunk” at the drive-thru distributions.

“We are now at a level where we are having to buy food, and dollars are going very quickly,” Cooper said. “The $12 million from the state will help us stock our shelves with peanut butter and soups and chili and stew and rice and beans and corn and green beans and all of those staple items families need in their pantry to nourish their family.”

About 400 volunteers, aided by traffic control performed by San Antonio police, helped distribute the food Thursday.

“The good Lord says help they neighbor,” said C.J. Littlefield, an 80-year-old senior citizens coordinator at the Ella Austin Community Center, in explaining what motivated him to volunteer.

Veronica Hernandez with the San Antonio Food Bank wears a mask and sunglasses as thousands of people in cars gather at Traders Village. Lines of cars extended for miles as 400 volunteers got ready to distributed items such as milk, bread, vegetables and even Easter candy. less Veronica Hernandez with the San Antonio Food Bank wears a mask and sunglasses as thousands of people in cars gather at Traders Village. Lines of cars extended for miles as 400 volunteers got ready to ... more Photo: Kin Man Hui, Staff Photographer Photo: Kin Man Hui, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close In biggest turnout yet, 10,000 hit hard by economic effects of coronavirus seek San Antonio Food Bank help 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

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“I wanted to get in the game, stay in the game, stay engaged. That’s what it’s all about.”

Heather Martinez, 30, also cited her faith as the main reason why she volunteered.

“I want to share God’s love with the whole world,” said Martinez, a housekeeper at Community Bible Church.

While handing out containers of milk, Martinez enthusiastically greeted the occupants of each car with uplifting words.

“Hi, how are you?” she cheerily said to one carload. “You have a phenomenal Easter. God bless you all, and please tell me if there is anything I can say for you in my prayers.”

Tom Orsborn covers sports news in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Tom, become a subscriber. torsborn@express-news.net | Twitter: @tom_orsborn

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