As a wide array of federal agencies continue to make spending cuts across the country, the San Antonio Food Bank says they are not immune to the effects it’s having on food distribution.
“When you think about the 105,000 people we feed each week, about a third are children, the middle third are parents that are generally working, and then seniors,” said San Antonio Food Bank CEO Eric Cooper. “It doesn’t take too long for dollars to run out in a household, and they’re needing help.”
Cooper says that cuts from the USDA have affected programs like the local food purchase program, which helped the food bank buy food from local providers, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
“Well over 30 truckloads (of food) were canceled that we were expecting,” Cooper said. “At the end of the day, I believe that hunger is a bipartisan issue. It’s both sides of the aisle leaning in to help Americans.”
The San Antonio Food Bank operates with a combination of funding from federal, state, city and county dollars, along with donations from local companies, foundations, corporations and individuals.
Cooper is proud of the return on investment that the food bank provides to the 29 counties and 800 partner organizations it serves.
“One dollar equals seven meals. We run the food bank on just 2% administrative overhead. There’s just not a more efficient non-profit, and we want to continue that efficiency,” he said.
In the meantime, Cooper recommends anyone who wants to help the food bank serve families donate food, donate funds, volunteer, or share their concerns with local representatives.
“If we can provide food to someone, then they can cost shift what money they do have to pay for rent and to keep themselves housed. You know, we just don’t want to see the other side of that,” Cooper said.
