A Call To Action
Providing food security in uncertain times
By Connie Swann
Photos: San Antonio Parks and Recreation
The city of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department has provided meals to the community for more than 50 years. Kids who were enrolled in the Summer Youth Program could enjoy a healthy lunch and snack at a community center. Children swimming at a city pool could take a break to enjoy a sandwich, juice, and a crisp apple. The meals, funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant, were fresh, accessible, and free for children ages 18 and under. Families that depended on school meals to supplement their groceries relied on the department’s service to fill the gap in food security.
While providing meals to the community has evolved, 2020 has proven to be especially challenging. As the city shut down to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, many residents found themselves in dire situations. Because of school closures, sudden job loss, and a population at risk with underlying health conditions, COVID-19 highlighted the disparities in food security. Thousands of people were in food lines, many for the first time.
Throughout the years, San Antonio Parks and Recreation, in partnership with community organizations and vendors, proved to be essential in the herculean effort to feed a community in crisis during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic.
A Sense Of Urgency
Beginning in March 2020, recreation team members and the San Antonio Food Bank provided food to families. With community centers closed, these facilities were now utilized as food-distribution sites. Brenda Burton, Assistant Parks and Recreation Manager, notes, “We ran different scenarios; spring break camp just ended, and the decision came down that we're closing. We don’t close, so it was very sobering.” Burton learned of the city closures on a Friday; the following day she received a call from the San Antonio Food Bank. “They needed to get food out to the people,” she recalls. A plan was approved by city leadership on Sunday. Within 72 hours, semi-trucks with pallets of food delivered to various community centers. The recreation team was ready to begin food distribution by Wednesday.
Individual meals and snacks for children and commodities for families were provided. The commodities included pallets of carrots, potatoes, chicken, tomatoes, oranges, bread, celery, and avocados. The strategy was to provide enough food for a week. However, as the pandemic spread, the need for food continued to grow.
A food-distribution event hosted at Trader’s Village, a large outdoor flea market, was a testament to this growing need. Cars waited in line for hours, but more people kept arriving. When the food bank called for backup support, parks staff members immediately deployed to help with distribution. At the end of the day, 10,000 meals were served. While national media attention highlighted the community’s efforts, also highlighted was the vulnerability of many families across the nation.
Summer Food Program Reimagined
In June, as schools ended distance learning, the department expanded the Summer Food Program to children enrolled in the city’s day camps, in addition to curbside meal pickup for other children in the community. This modification in service delivery brought opportunities for the entire department to support food-distribution efforts and unique partnerships. A great example of this cross-departmental collaboration was the Urban Forestry team that supplied free fruit trees to families that picked up meals—providing a nutritious food source for years to come.
Every division of the Summer Food Program mobilized, attended training, and deployed at park facilities across San Antonio. In total, more than 108,000 lunches, snacks, and suppers were served between June 1 and mid-August.
Staff Training And Safety
Based on the team’s experience with food distribution in the spring, and with guidance from the department’s Risk Management team, procedures were established to train staff members. Workshops were held at several facilities with ample space to accommodate physical distancing. Safety protocols for staff members included the following:
Health screenings and temperature checks upon entry to a city facility
Face coverings required
Seating spaced 6 feet apart.
It’s important to note that staff continued to follow these safety protocols when deployed for meal distribution. Over the summer, San Antonio was experiencing peak community spread of the coronavirus, so took added measures for mitigation. Staff members were screened for symptoms, and temperatures were checked daily. Due to the shortage of gloves, the department purchased neoprene gardening gloves for staff members to keep, which provided an added sense of security. While some staff initially expressed concerns due to COVID-19, the mandatory safety protocols established by the city and local health professionals assured members that their safety was taken seriously.
Meal Pickup—Three Ways
The Summer Food Program workshops provided details, such as food safety, eligibility requirements, and new options for meal pickup. Previously, the program grant required that meals be served and eaten on-site. This year, due to the pandemic, the USDA allowed “grab-and-go”-style meal pickups. Unitized meals, which included a hot meal with milk and a snack with juice, could be picked up curbside three different ways:
Each child (between the ages of 1 to 18 years) in the vehicle was eligible to receive a meal and snack.
Parents or guardians picking up meals without children were required to show one of the following documents each time:
Individual student report cards
Birth certificate for children not in schools
Student ID cards
Children could also walk up to the site and receive a meal.
Meals were provided five days a week. The largest service locations provided 100 to 200 meals a day to children. In addition to lunch and a snack, supper service was added at several locations—a new option especially helpful for working families. A typical day included staff accepting the food delivery from the vendor, counting the meal units, and noting all quantities of food. Maintaining accurate records and paperwork for the Summer Food grant was very important for auditing purposes. Staff members would then set up a tent, tables, and coolers outside. Cones were placed curbside to help direct traffic flow.
Serving Meals While Maintaining Distance
Safety for families and staff members was a top priority. With slight modifications to service delivery, staff members were able to safely interact with the public while maintaining physical distance. As local and CDC guidelines evolved, so did the team’s safety measures. For example, instead of handing boxes of food to recipients or placing food inside the vehicle, they would stay in the car and staff members would place boxes of groceries in the trunk or place meals on a table for individuals to pick up and place inside the car themselves. A staff person would then sanitize the table and serve the next person.
Whom Did We Serve?
As staff members were assigned to one site all summer, many noted how much they looked forward to their shifts. The families being served quickly had stories of their own. A grandmother who unexpectedly found herself as the primary caregiver for three grandchildren would arrive promptly for lunch pickup. Her daughter was a nurse working directly with COVID-19 patients. Kimya McIntosh, administrative assistant from Natural Areas, reflects on her experience over the summer: “I enjoyed meeting the families and getting to know the children, knowing I was part of something so much bigger than just handing out food.” Occasionally, a new family would drive through, unsure of how the process worked. No matter their circumstances, our team made sure every family felt welcome and supported.
Raising Awareness
The marketing team utilized several strategies to raise awareness of the department’s food-distribution efforts, including a website, social media, and English and Spanish media outreach. It was important that accurate and timely information was shared with the public during this critical time, including distribution locations, hours, and any eligibility requirements.
Weekly meetings and daily phone calls with stakeholders, including staff members, the food bank, vendor, local, state and national entities, were key to ensure that everyone was aware and informed of the latest efforts. City council offices shared flyers and links to the latest information. San Antonio’s non-emergency 311 call center answered questions about free meals available in the city. The media provided updates and interviewed our team, which reassured the community that food was available and free.
Lessons Learned
Many stakeholders were involved in making sure the community didn’t go hungry. By collaborating with the local food bank and contracted vendor, we were able to pivot service delivery and provide hyper-local support to families. With swift support and action from city leadership, the team was also able to respond quickly. Above all, this effort would not have succeeded without the team. With a department of almost 600 employees, we have learned we can mobilize during times of crisis.
Connie Swann is the Marketing Manager for San Antonio Parks and Recreation. Reach her at Connie.Swann@sanantonio.gov.