SOME OF THEM CRY. >> WE’RE DOING OUR BEST.
WE’RE THANKFUL FOR THAT.
>> FOR "TODAY," JOE FRYER, NBC
NEWS.
NEWS. >>> WE’RE JOINED BY ERIC COOPER,
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE SAN
ANTONIO FOOD BANK.
ERIC, THANKS FOR JOINING US THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. >> THANK YOU, HODA.
>> I HAVE TO TELL YOU, WE SHOWED
IMAGES IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE
FOOD BANK WITH THOUSANDS, WE
THOUGHT IT WAS 6,000 CARS, IT’S
MORE LIKE 10,000.
YOU HAVE BEEN AT THIS 25 YEARS.
IS THIS KIND OF THE WORST YOU’VE
EVER SEEN?
EVER SEEN? >> IT IS, HODA.
YOU KNOW, WE WERE SO MONEYBLOWN
AND OVERWHELMED AT THE NEED IN
THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE OF
COVID-19 OF WE TYPICALLY FEED
ABOUT 60,000 A PEEK.
THE NEED HAS RISEN TO 120,000
PEOPLE A WEEK, AND WE ARE JUST
WORKING AS HARD AS WE CAN TO
MEET THAT NEED.
>> WHEN I SAW THOSE LINES OF
CARS, I COULDN’T HELP BUT THINK
IF YOU’RE IN NEED OF FOOD,
YOU’RE IN NEED OF GAS.
YOU’RE PROBABLY SITTING WAITING
IN LINE HOPING YOU DON’T RUN
OUT.
OUT. A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS, IT’S THE
FIRST TIME THEY HAVE EVER BEEN
IN A FOOD BANK LINE LIKE THIS.
DESCRIBE THE PEOPLE YOU’RE
SEEING.
SEEING. >> THESE ARE THE HOSPITALITY
WORKERS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
MANY OF THEM ARE COMING FROM OUR
HOTELS.
HOTELS. MANY ARE TAXI DRIVERS OR UBER
DRIVERS.
DRIVERS. MANY WERE IMPACTED BECAUSE THEIR
LASS OF EMPLOYMENT SHUT DOWN.
THEIR LAST PAYCHECK RAN OUT, AND
THERE’S JUST NOWHERE ELSE TO GO.
THEY KNOW THE FOOD BANK MAYBE
FROM VOLUNTEERING BUT THEY HAVE
NEVER HAD TO ASK FOR HELP.
THIS IS THE CASE WITH FOOD BANKS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WE’RE ONE OF 200 FOOD BANKS PART
OF THE FEEDING AMERICA FOOD BANK
NETWORK.
NETWORK. ALL OF MY PEERS IN OTHER CITIES
ARE STRUGGLING TO HAVE ENOUGH
FOOD TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THAT
LINE.
LINE. IT’S BEEN OVERWHELMING.
>> WELL, IT’S SO PERSONAL,
BECAUSE I’M WATCHING YOUR
VOLUNTEERS AND YOU GO UP TO EACH
CAR AND TALK TO THE PEOPLE.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM PEOPLE
IN THOSE CARS, ERIC?
>> SUCH IMMENSE GRATITUDE.
IT’S SO HUMBLE.
I WAS LOADING BOXES OF FOOD INTO
THE BACK OF A MINIVAN.
AS I DID THAT, THREE LITTLE
HEADS POPPED UP ALONG THE BACK
SEAT, CHILDREN THAT WERE EXCITED
TO GET FOOD WITH THEIR MOM.
LOOK, WE’VE GOT MILK.
JUST HUMBLED.
JUST HUMBLED. ALL OF THE FAMILIES SO GRATEFUL.
CHILDREN PUT LITTLE HEART SIGNS
ON THE GLASS SAYING THANK YOU.
WE WERE SO WORRIED BECAUSE THEY
HAD BEEN OUT THERE SO LONG, BUT
MOMS WERE SAYING, NO, WE BROUGHT
SNACKS.
SNACKS. WE KNEW IT WOULD BE A LONG WAIT.
PEOPLE LINED UP HOURS AND HOURS
BEFORE THE DISTRIBUTION TO GET
READY.
READY. SO HUMBLING.
SO HUMBLING. >> ERIC, I THINK ONE OF THE
THINGS WE WANT TO MAKE SURE IS
YOU HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH?
HOW ARE YOU GETTING IT?
DO YOU NEED VOLUNTEERS?
DO YOU NEED MONEY?
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KEEP THIS
GOING
GOING GOING.
GOING. >> WE REALLY NEED ALL THREE.
WE’RE STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP.
OUR INVENTORIES ARE GOING FAST.
THE BEST HELP IS TO MAKE A
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION, BUT
VOLUNTEERS HAVE REALLY BEEN
AMAZING.
AMAZING. WE ARE IN NEED OF MORE
VOLUNTEERS.
VOLUNTEERS. KNOWING THEY ARE WORKING ON THE
FRONT LINES, PUTTING THEMSELVES
AT RISK HAS BEEN HUMBLING TO
SEE.
SEE. I WOULD CHALLENGE ANYONE
WATCHING TO REACH OUT TO THEIR
LOCAL FOOD BANK, TO VOLUNTEER,
MAKE A MONETARY CONTRIBUTION.
WE HOPE THAT WE’RE GOING TO HAVE
ENOUGH FOOD AND TO MEET THIS
NEED.
NEED. IT’S REALLY GOING TO BE A NEED
OF A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.
WE HOPE THAT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT AND STATE GOVERNMENTS
LEAN IN ON THIS CRISIS.
>> YOU’RE GOING TO NEED FEDERAL
AND STATE HELP FOR EVERY DAY
FOLKS.
FOLKS. THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU’RE
DOING.
DOING. THE LINES LOOK REALLY DAUNTING.