DEPARTMENT: Department of Human Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Melody Woosley
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Update on San Antonio Food Bank and Project Cool Initiatives
SUMMARY:
This item provides a briefing on San Antonio Food Bank and Project Cool initiatives, operated by Catholic Charities and City of San Antonio, Department of Human Services.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Since Fiscal Year 2005, the City of San Antonio has funded the San Antonio Food Bank for the Project HOPE, Kids Caf?, and Haven for Hope Community Kitchen Initiatives to ensure the most vulnerable in our community have access to nutritious food and meals. The Project HOPE program provides San Antonio and Bexar County older adults living on a fixed income with supplemental, staple groceries on a monthly basis to help fight hunger and malnutrition. More than 70 partnering sites, including Department of Human Services Senior Centers, provide monthly distribution of 50-60 pounds of food to enrolled seniors each month. Food is chosen to accommodate the special dietary needs of the senior population and includes produce, protein, whole grains and other staples. The Kids Caf? program provides area children with a nutritious meal and/or snack at participating youth programs throughout the community. These items are coupled with enrichment and physical activities to promote the practice of healthy eating and staying active. The Haven for Hope Community Kitchen provides 3 meals a day, 365 days a year to homeless individuals and families residing on the Haven for Hope Transformational Campus. The program also provides an onsite culinary training program to help Haven for Hope residents learn new workforce skills.
Since 1997, the Department of Human Services, Catholic Charities of San Antonio, Inc., United Way of San Antonio & Bexar County, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and community partners have coordinated Project Cool to provide heat relief to older adults, 60 yea...
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