SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Food Bank understands the need to feed Texans is dire, which is why the nonprofit hopes the Legislature can help people like Brenda Saucedo.
Saucedo became a guardian to her two grandchildren, Austin and Alex, when their mother died. Saucedo’s husband is a lineman — a salary just enough to cover their monthly expenses.
She said they don’t qualify for federal benefits, which is why she turned to the San Antonio Food Bank.
The Food Bank serves 100,000 people a week over a 29-county radius in Southwest Texas. Over the next few months, Brenda hopes state lawmakers can see how many Texans are struggling to get by.
“It’s very important that these legislators and these politicians see that we’re just a normal middle-class family trying to make it,” Saucedo said. “And, you know, that take into consideration that there’s other things that are taking out of our check.”
The San Antonio Food Bank CEO Eric Cooper said they have three main focuses:
1). Streamline the SNAP application process at the state level.
To apply for federal SNAP benefits, applicants must go through the state’s Health and Human Services Commission, a process that’s supposed to take 30 days. But there have been backlogs in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The need is great,” Cooper said. “A lot of people have applied for SNAP and they (HHSC) just don’t have the staff and the technology to handle that volume. So we’re recommending for a policy change to streamline the six-month eligibility process. Now, HHC has done a great job now of catching up with some of those backlogs, but to keep that from happening in the future, if Texas would join 45 other states in a streamlined six-month eligibility process, it can actually save the state potentially about $35 million. So, you know, many states, like I said, 45 other states, Texas is in the last five to finally move to a streamlined six-month eligibility process, which just makes it easier for the staff. They don’t have to interact with the clients as much. There’s using technology and data mapping to ensure that the neighbor is still eligible to receive the program. And I think that’ll be an incredible way to help families get access to the nutrition that they need.”
2). Support the federal program that supplies lunches for children over the summer.
The federal government granted access to a program for free lunches across all states, but Texas didn’t implement the program last year.
“We all know kids are fed at school breakfast and lunch most of the year, but during the summer months they lose that incredible nourishment,” Cooper said. “And so there’s funding that’s available to bridge the summer months to make sure families get access to good nutrition. Texas forwent implementing that program last year because the state didn’t feel like they could execute on the program. It’s estimated to be about $450 million statewide that families that are needing access to nourish their kids didn’t get last summer. Let’s not deny them that resource this coming summer.”
3). Support Texans getting access to Medicaid.
“Many families lost access to Medicaid,” Cooper said. “They were, you know, cut off because the public health emergency was done. They have to reapply. Many have, but still, many families still need to apply. And we’re encouraging the state to do more outreach and education to make sure families get access to health insurance through the Medicaid program. And it’s a huge need for the families we serve. They’re choosing between paying those medical bills and buying food. And if they have access to Medicaid, that’ll help support that expense and so that they’ll have the resources to buy their own food.”
Saucedo believes access to healthy food is a right for Texans.
“There is no reason for any child in this in the United States to be hungry, especially Texas,” Saucedo said. “No child should be hungry.”
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