With federal food assistance set to lapse for 130,000 San Antonio households, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and a group of businesses and foundations announced a $1.6 million SNAP bridge fund to help families in need during a Friday morning press conference outside City Hall.
The federal government shutdown has lasted a month as Democrats and Republicans remain divided about next year’s budget. That means millions of Americans will not likely see benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, arrive Nov. 1.
Two federal judges ruled later on Friday afternoon that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown. Still, there may be a delay in reloading the debit cards that beneficiaries use to buy groceries.
A group of local businesses and nonprofits have put their heads and wallets together to distribute $150 H-E-B gift cards to families that need food, Jones announced Friday, before the judges’ ruling.
The donations are being received and managed by the San Antonio Area Foundation, which will purchase the gift cards from H-E-B. The gift cards will then be distributed by the city’s Metropolitan Health District and Human Services departments.
“I want our community to know help is coming,” Jones said. “Thanks to the city and over a dozen companies, I’m proud to announce that just in the last two, three days, we have raised over $1.6 million to help build a bridge for SNAP recipients.”
Jones said the aid would be focused on seniors and vulnerable residents, and the city will distribute the gift cards to people who currently utilize certain city programs. More details about the new program will be shared next week.
“The city is finalizing a distribution plan that will use existing channels to make sure assistance reaches residents quickly and fairly,” Jones said. “More details about distribution will be announced next week, but I’m here to let folks know that you are not alone.”
The $1.6 million will help about 11,000 families, Jones said, and emphasized that the program was only a bridge, not a solution. She said San Antonio families receive $50 million in SNAP benefits each month.
“This is a bridge. It’s not the solution. The solution is the federal government being up and running again,” Jones said.
Several of San Antonio’s largest businesses contributed. USAA donated $250,000. Frost Bank, H-E-B, Joeris General Contractors, Valero and the San Antonio Spurs donated $100,000 each, as did Jones’ office.
Multiple foundations also kicked in. The San Antonio Area Foundation led the way with $150,000 and the Kym Rapier and Gordon Hartman Family foundations also contributed $100,000.
Those donations, in some cases, came in spite of political divisions. Jones has publicly clashed with Spurs leadership on using city dollars for a downtown arena, but they showed a united front Friday.
“We are all family, and in these moments the most, we need to make sure that all of us come to the aid of our community,” said Patricia Mejia, the Spurs’ chief impact and inclusion officer.
Jones said the funding had come together quickly after a series of calls to local businesses and foundations. She and Nadege Souvenir, the CEO of the San Antonio Area Foundation, encouraged more businesses, foundations and community members to contribute going forward.
Contributors can donate online at the Area Foundation’s website, Souvenir said.