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The San Antonio
Food Bank Network
·
The
San Antonio Food Bank provides emergency food
assistance to around 150,000 people in Southwest
Texas —including nearly 40,000 children (27%) and
25,000 seniors (18%)—annually.
·
Since
2001, the San Antonio Food Bank has increased the
amount of food made available to low-income families
through its agencies and programs by 60%. The San
Antonio Food Bank did not participate in the
previous study, Hunger in America 2001.
·
Each
week, approximately 25,000 people receive emergency
food assistance from an agency in the San Antonio
Food Bank Network.
Clients
·
Seventy percent (70%) of clients served are food
insecure. Thirty-one percent (31%) of the clients
are experiencing hunger.
·
Of
the more than 150,000 people the San Antonio Food
Bank serves:
o
15%
are white; 16% are black; and 69% are Hispanic.
o
79%
are living below the federal poverty line.
o
41%
have at least one adult in the household working.
o
9%
are homeless.
·
More
than 40% of the clients served report having to
choose between paying for utilities or heating fuel
and food; 29% had to choose between paying for rent
or a mortgage and food; 36% report having to choose
between paying for medical bills and food.
·
Almost all (97%) of clients report that they are
satisfied with the quality and quantity of food they
receive.
Food
Distribution and Agency Capacity
·
The
San Antonio Food Bank provides 85% of the food
distributed by food pantries, 47% of the food
distributed by soup kitchens and 43% of the food
distributed by emergency shelters.
·
At
the administration of the study, there were 298
agencies in the San Antonio Food Bank Network
including 33 soup kitchens, 181 food pantries; and
18 emergency shelters. The San Antonio Food Bank
now serves more than 400 agencies.
·
Nearly 80% of pantries, 58% of soup kitchens, and
44% of emergency shelters are run by faith-based
agencies affiliated with churches, mosques,
synagogues and other religious organizations.
·
Sixty-three percent (63%) of pantries, 59% of soup
kitchens, and 44% of shelters report an increase
since 2001 in the number of clients who come to
their emergency food program sites.
·
Ninety-one percent (91%) of food pantries, 84% of
soup kitchens and 94% of shelters in the America's
Second Harvest Network use volunteers.
·
Seventy-three percent (73%) of food pantries and 46%
of soup kitchens rely entirely on volunteers and
have no paid staff.
Role
of Federal Government
·
Nearly 73% of food pantries, 36% of soup kitchens
and 36% of emergency shelters receive food from
government commodity programs.
·
Thirty-six percent (36%) of the clients are
receiving Food Stamp Program benefits.
·
Among
the households with school-age children, 68%
participate in the federal school lunch program and
66% participate in the school breakfast program.
Methodology
·
The
Southwest Texas portion of Hunger in America 2006
is a scientific study conducted through 419
face-to-face interviews with people seeking
emergency food assistance from one of the nearly 300
agencies that the San Antonio Food Bank served
during 2004.
·
258
agencies also participated in the Southwest Texas
portion of Hunger in America 2006 by
completing an agency survey. |
