Eric Cooper, President & CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank, is asking community members of all ages to join the Food Bank in a summer of service. The Food Bank is facing an urgent crisis for volunteers as it ramps up to meet the meal needs of a record number of kids who may face hunger this summer. (San Antonio Food Bank, 2021)

Volunteers are needed to help prepare meals in the Food Bank’s three kitchens, as well as to help pack food boxes in their main facility warehouse and work mobile food distributions. Information on dates, time, age restrictions, and more can be found at the Food Bank’s volunteer website.

An additional service opportunity is available for those seeking full-time service this summer via the Food Bank’s partnership with AmeriCorps and Equal Heart. The Food Bank is recruiting individuals to serve as AmeriCorps Members to reduce community hunger and provide engagement for youth. In exchange for their service, AmeriCorps Members receive a bi-weekly living allowance and an end-of-term education award.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early as applications are considered on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. Qualified applicants are screened and interviewed by both Equal Heart  and the Food Bank before any formal offer is made. Application information is available online.

“It’s a bit of a collision: a combination of volunteer fatigue and businesses opening up coupled with as many as 250,000 kids being at risk for hunger this summer. Summer is traditionally our highest time of need (for food, funds, and especially volunteers) and we’re usually in great shape with volunteers for the summer. The pandemic, however, has changed the landscape for volunteers and we are in a serious crisis. Our community has been heroic in its volunteerism during the pandemic. I have total faith that together we can help ensure that no child goes hungry this summer.”

Eric Cooper, President/CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank

The San Antonio Food Bank is a 501c3 non‐profit organization providing millions of pounds of food to over 530 charitable organizations in Southwest Texas serving those in need. In addition to food distribution, the San Antonio Food Bank provides numerous programs that not only solve the immediate problems of hunger, but help individuals and families gain long‐term food security.