Karla Cantu
Agency Relations Director

On Wednesday, we served 221 households/908 individuals at CAFB East Austin Service Center (EASC). The line was long, which gave me some time to talk with the clients waiting patiently to receive food. Here’s a glimpse into what some of our neighbors in Austin are experiencing:

• Linda relies on STS (Capital Metro’s Special Transit Service) to get to the food pantry. Due to limited service, she takes the 5:30 a.m. bus to come to the food pantry (which opens at 8 a.m.).  She was given a cab voucher to get a ride home.
• Mary’s been looking for a job since February. She has one child and says she is thankful school started because her daughter gets free breakfast and lunch at school. When I asked how they made it through the summer with the extra food expense, she simply said they ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly.
• Juanita, a senior living on a fixed income, experienced a hard summer. Although she has no additional money coming in, she’s been helping her daughter financially who is on medical (maternity) leave.  As of today, they have six diapers left with no money available until next month’s pension check.  Juanita said her check is usually gone by the second week of the month.
• Jack walks three miles to get to the food pantry because he doesn’t have transportation. (Side note – you can call United Way’s First Call for Help (211) to find out which agencies offer bus vouchers.)
• Brenda’s a widow raising her 12, 9 and 3-year-old grandchildren, plus her 10-year-old daughter. She takes 10 city buses a day getting the children to-and-from school. The total cost for weekly transportation is $42. Brenda says she hopes the children will receive monthly student bus passes from CAFB Partner Agency, Communities in Schools .   

Wow, what a day, and these are only five stories out of the 221 households served today. 

Click here to volunteer at EASC.

Greg Plotkin, guest blogger on Change.org, posted a great piece this morning, ”A New Approach to the Food Bank Model.” He writes:

“Visiting the local food [pantry] has always been viewed as somewhat of an impersonal experience chalk [sic] full of long lines, barren walls and sunken faces. You show up, wait your turn and then, if you’re lucky, receive a few grocery bags full of post-expiration goods.

It is this routine that sometimes causes people to avoid taking advantage of a food [pantry's] services, even if they desperately need them.”

He also shares how food pantries are shifting from an “institutional” experience to a “super market style” to help create a more enjoyable experience for those needing food assistance. We agree. Glenda Shayne, CAFB’s VP of Community  Programs, shares the positive effects of a “client choice” food pantry that CAFB runs in east Austin.

“At the Capital Area Food Bank’s East Austin Service Center, each guest is greeted and escorted through rows and shelves of food. They can choose three cans of vegetables, and they have a choice from various meats and other high-protein foods, too. We see the success of this pantry in their faces. The “client choice” model also reduces waste associated with pre-bagging and, most importantly, promotes the dignity and respect of each guest who walks through the door.”

The East Austin Service Center serves more than 650 families each month. Click here to volunteer.

Do you know of a new approach to food banking? Share with us in the comments section below.

Our friends, family and neighbors continue to lose their jobs, and, as a result, many seek food assistance for the first time. Do you know someone who needs help with food?

Here are a few suggestions on how to ease possible tensions and/or embarrassment:

• Help them navigate through all the available resources. It may seem daunting, but it’s worth the effort.
• Create a packet of information, including food pantry locations, 2-1-1 info, Food Stamp application and upcoming job fairs (if applicable) and give it to them.
• Let them know they’re not alone – 40 percent more people are receiving food assistance (than this time last year), many for the first time.
• Tell them that some food pantries, like CAFB East Austin Service Center, have a client choice program that allows you to choose what you want. Receiving food there is much like going to the grocery store.

For more information on available resources, click here.

Families in East Austin continue to receive healthy foods and warm service at CAFB East Austin Service Center. Karla Cantu, Agency Relations Director, shares her thoughts and insight into EASC volunteers and distribution process. Watch the video –

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWH_nrpPxqw&hl=en&fs=1&]

Like what you see? Click here for more information on how to get involved.

Please note: CAFB will be closed January 1st, New Years Day. To make a donation click here.