A mass of people wait in their cars at Traders Village for a San Antonio Food Bank distribution in April, early in the coronavirus pandemic.“It was a bit of a miracle that we were able to get done what we got done.”
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. “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.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.
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. About 400 volunteers, aided by traffic control performed by San Antonio police, helped distribute the food Thursday.
And things have definitely gotten better and in no way worse.