SAN ANTONIO – About 20% of Bexar County families face food insecurity, and local organizations are working together to connect those families with resources during Hunger Action Month in September.
Angelica Montelongo, a San Antonio resident who has experienced food insecurity firsthand, said the financial pressure has grown harder to manage.
“It’s getting worse. With $40 you can’t buy that much food or anything,” she said.
Montelongo said a fixed income stretches only so far.
“Retirement is not enough to be paying for gas, food, electricity and all those bills,” she said.
Food insecurity rarely arrives on its own, according to Angelica Cervantes, deputy CEO of YWCA San Antonio.
“Food insecurity often shows up alongside housing instability, employment issues, workforce issues. It shows up alongside childcare accessibility, wage concerns, it shows up along these other circumstances that oftentimes continue to build stress,” Cervantes said.
Dozens of organizations across San Antonio, including the YWCA, are working together through the Health Equity Network to connect families with food resources and reduce barriers to healthy food. Cervantes said the network offers more than a food pantry.
“We want to make sure they’re provided with access to our food pantry,” Cervantes said. “A lot of programs integrate stipends where individuals have access to direct cash assistance as well. They can purchase additional groceries or be able to use those funds to address other emergency needs that came up. They’re not having to choose between a medical expense or vehicle repair and food.”
For Montelongo, the support has made a tangible difference.
“In a way yes, it’s not as stressful as when we didn’t have this help,” she said.
The Health Equity Network serves more than 30,000 people in Bexar County each year.
For more information on how you can join, click here.
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