>> THAT WAS VICTOR OQUENDO REPORTING. WELL BACK HERE AT HOME WE’RE
ABOUT 17 MONTHS INTO THIS
PANDEMIC IT’S DIFFICULT TO GET
THOSE IMAGES OF THE LONG LINES
AT THE FOOD BANK’S MEGA
DISTRIBUTIONS FROM THE START OF
THE PANDEMIC OUT OF OUR HEADS
BUT.
>> WE’RE FAR FROM DONE THERE’S
STILL A HUGE NEED IN OUR
REGION.
>> SO JOINING US IN TODAY’S
LEADING SA SEGMENT IS PRESIDENT
CEO OF THE SAN ANTONIO FOOD
BANK ERIC COOPER. GOOD MORNING,
ERIC ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO HAVE
YOU ON.
>> GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU SO
MUCH YOU KNOW MAX FOR SO LONG
YOU AND I WERE OUT THERE
THOSE DISTRIBUTIONS TALKING THE
FAMILY’S UNDERSTANDING WHAT
THEY WERE GOING THROUGH.
AND AS YOU SAID,
STILL A GREAT NEED THROUGHOUT
THIS REGION. SO MANY FAMILIES
STILL DISPLACED FROM WORK
AT THE START OF THE SUMMER WE
SAW SOME GOOD SIGNS AS VACCINES
WERE YOU KNOW TAKING HOLD AND
THE ECONOMY WAS OPENING UP, BUT
NOW WITH THIS RECENT SPIKE
WE’RE STARTING TO SEE
A LITTLE MORE DEMAND THAT THE
SAN ANTONIO FOOD BANK.
YEAH WE’RE GOING TO GET TO OUR
COMMUNITY IN JUST A MOMENT, BUT
AS.
>> YOU KNOW MOST OF AMERICA
KNOWS WE’RE TRACKING HURRICANE
IDA. WE DIDN’T DOING SO
THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND. WE
KNOW THIS COULD BE DEVASTATING
FOR SO MANY FAMILIES IN
LOUISIANA. NOW AS THE FOODBANK
OF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY DISCUSSION
TO REPAIR TO HELP OUT.
>> YOU BET, YOU KNOW THE FOOD
BANKS KNOWN FOR FIGHTING THAT
DAILY DISASTER POVERTY. BUT
WHEN A NATURAL DISASTER STEPS
WE STEP UP TO THAT TOO AND SO.
I KNOW WHETHER MAN MADE OR OR MOTHER NATURE. WE WORK WITH A NETWORK OF FOOD
BANKS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED
STATES CALLED
FEEDING AMERICA. AND OUR SISTER
FOOD BANK THERE IN NEW ORLEANS
IS GOING TO NEED A LOT OF
SUPPORT THAT SO WE WILL SERVE
AS
A DONATION. DESTINATION A
STAGING AREA FOR FOOD THAT
WOULD BE SHIPPED INTO THE GULF
COAST. AND THEN
ALSO IF AND WHEN A VACUUM EASE
COME INTO OUR CITY WILL PARTNER
WITH THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN
THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TO DO
MEALS SO. POLICE SAN ANTONIO
STAND BY AS WE
NO WE WILL BE CALLED AND AS
SOON AS WE ARE WE WILL START TO
TO RESPOND TO THAT NEED.
>> ERIC BACK HERE AT HOME WHAT
DOES OUR NEED LOOK LIKE NOW.
>> SO YOU KNOW
IT’S PREPARING FOR DONATIONS
MANAGEMENT SO FOR A LOT OUR
ROLE BECAUSE WE’RE NOT DIRECTLY
INTO THE IMPACTED AREA WILL BE
RECEIVING FOOD
AND SUPPLIES, WE’LL NEED
VOLUNTEERS TO HELP SORT AND BOX
AND GET THINGS READY FOR THOSE
DISTRIBUTIONS TO THOSE IMPACTED
BY THE STORM
AND AS I MENTIONED IF SHELTERS
SET UP IN THE BACK YOU EASE
NEED TO COME INTO THE CITY AND
AND A MEGA SHELTERS SET UP FOR.
YOU KNOW HOUSE TO THE HOTEL.
THE FOOD BANK WILL BE PROVIDED
PREPARED MEALS AND SO
IN THIS TIME OF COVID IT’S BEEN
DIFFICULT WITH THE SPIKE
IN CASES TO SEE THE NUMBER OF
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED WE’RE
FOLLOWING ALL. YOU KNOW
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS BUT IF IF
YOU CAN VOLUNTEER IN OUR
STORM RESPONSE. PLEASE WE’RE
GOING TO NEED YOU. FOR THE NEXT
COMING DAYS. >> ALL RIGHT WELL, ERIC, YOU KNOW WE’VE BEEN SEEING PEOPLE
HELP OUT DURING TIMES OF
CRISIS, WE KNOW TEXANS HELP
OTHER TAXES WE HELP OUR
COMMUNITY. SO WHAT IS THIS
COMMUNITY RESPONSE BEEN LIKE
AND WHAT KIND OF VOLUNTEERS
SPECIFICALLY DO YOU NEED MEAN
YOU HAVE SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST
FOOD DISTRIBUTION OF THE FARM
AND THERE’S SO MANY PASSES THAT
PEOPLE CAN HELP OUT.
>> YEAH WELL YOU KNOW AGAIN
THE NEED WENT FROM 60,220 1000
PEOPLE
WE CAN THE ONLY WAY WE’VE BEEN
ABLE TO MEET THAT NEED IS
BECAUSE OF THIS INCREDIBLE
CITY THAT WE’RE A PART OF TO
SEE OUR RESIDENT RESPOND WITH
FOOD DONATIONS AND MONETARY
DONATIONS BUT SERVING ON THE
FRONT LINES ARE TREMENDOUS
VOLUNTEERS
COME OUT. EVERY WEEK OVER THE
LAST YEAR AND A HALF TO MAKE
NEIGHBOR IN NEED GETS FOOD AND
TO ME THAT’S BEEN INCREDIBLY
INSPIRING AND IT’S IT’S
IT’S HUMBLING AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE PANDEMIC THERE WAS SO
MUCH FEAR. BUT PEOPLE
WERE JUST COMING OUT ARE
RISKING THEIR OWN LIVES TO
SERVE, I’M A NEIGHBOR
AND SO WE NEED EVERYONE THERE’S
A PLACE AT THE FOOD BANK FOR
ALL AGES ALL ABILITIES
WHETHER WORKING OUR KITCHEN AS
YOU MENTIONED, MAX OR FARM
GARDEN, LOTS TO
DO THERE. WE ALSO HAVE OUR FOOD
AND YOU KNOW THEY’RE JUST GOING
TO BE A LOT OF OF DEMAND.
THAT
IF AGAIN WE’RE CALLED UPON TO
RESPOND TO
HURRICANE IDA. THAT’S GOING TO
BE THIS EXTRA DEMAND ON TOP OF
OUR PANDEMIC RESPONSE AND ON
TOP OF THE DAILY WORK THAT WE
DO TO HELP FAMILIES THAT
STRUGGLE AND POVERTY.
>> WELL ERIC THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US AND ALL THE HARD
WORK THAT SAN ANTONIO FOOD BANK
IS DOING.
FOR THIS FULL INTERVIEW OR
ANYONE THAT DOES WANT TO HELP
OUT YOU CAN FIND ALL THAT
INFORMATION AND LINKS TO THE