SAN ANTONIO – Thursday marked three weeks since the federal government officially reopened, and yet, San Antonians are still going to food banks in record numbers.
KSAT spoke with reps from the San Antonio Food Bank and Parenting Plus, who said demand for their services hasn’t returned to pre-shutdown levels.
“I’m disabled, so I get a check, but (it’s not) enough for everything,” said Christina Garcia.
Garcia, a mother of three, admitted the recent government shutdown was an uncertain time for her family.
“I found myself needing to get assistance for groceries,” said Garcia.
With the holiday season in full swing and rising food prices, she feels she’s still behind the curve. That’s why she’s relying on services from Parenting Plus, a West Side nonprofit that operates a food pantry, supplies diapers and provides counseling services for the community.
“It’s been crazy,” said Gena Meyer, Parenting Plus’s executive director.
“We we’re seeing about 400-500 people a week (before the shutdown, and now we’re seeing) maybe 1,500 people a week,” said Meyer.
The San Antonio Food Bank told KSAT that toward the beginning of the summer, it fed about 105,000 people every week. That number peaked at 170,000 during the shutdown. But now, weeks after the government reopened, that number hasn’t dropped dramatically.
“We’re probably (feeding) 145,000-150,000 people a week,” said CEO Eric Cooper.
Cooper believes it will be a while before demand for the food bank levels off.
“We would estimate that maybe in January, we might see a little bit more relief. But the fact is that when water rises, the need rises, and then it slowly goes down. Oftentimes, it doesn’t go back to that initial watermark,” said Cooper.
As the food bank prepares to meet the needs of San Antonians, Garcia said she’s grateful for the organizations helping families like hers.
“They’re a gem. When I got to (Parenting Plus), I was like, ‘Oh! We got a lot of help,’” said Garcia.
Read also:
Copyright 2025 by KSAT – All rights reserved.