Erika Borrego, who joined Impact San Antonio last spring as a shared member, is an extremely busy woman these days. She is COO of the San Antonio Food Bank, which has been supplying food to twice its usual number of clients due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Food Bank received a 2019 Support Grant from Impact SA. They used the grant to buy farm equipment, because in addition to buying food and taking donations, they also grow vegetables that they distribute to those in need.
We were able to get a few minutes of Erika’s time to talk about her work at the Food Bank and her excitement about being a member of Impact SA.
How and when did you first hear about Impact SA?
I’ve known about Impact SA for quite some time. I’ve worked at the San Antonio Food Bank for over 15 years and pretty early recall us trying to make the connection for a grant. We have applied through the years and were happy to be considered and receive our first gift this year (2019). My real introduction came via Beverley McClure, who is someone I love and admire greatly.
Why did you decide to join in a Shared Membership?
I’ve worked hard and am now blessed to be in a position to give back with more than just my time and passion. I joined because I wanted to be a part of something that brings ladies together in a way that they have the ability to change the world one decision at a time and one gift at a time.
What does being a member of Impact SA mean to you? Being a member of Impact SA means much more than I expected. I’m inspired by the creative, generous, fun-loving, brilliant-minded and powerful women I know in the group as well as the ones I am coming to know. This is my tribe, and I’m just sad I didn’t know that sooner.
The Impact San Antonio grant helped fund the purchase of farm equipment. What did you buy, and where is it being used?
We purchased a disc harrow and a multi-use toolbar frame for our Mission San Juan Farm with our grant.
How have staff and volunteers at the Food Bank had to adapt for the COVID-19 crisis?
We have implemented all COVID-19 safety protocols to ensure that all our staff and guests are safe. We are kindly asking individuals who have traveled or are ill to refrain from coming in or volunteering. We are providing all necessary personal protective equipment to staff and guests and are taking temperatures at the door. We are only utilizing community volunteers at offsite/outdoor distributions, and they have limited traffic inside our building for safety reasons. All our client interactions have shifted to no contact and are mostly being done by phone or in a drive-through format in the community.
Do you still need volunteers?
Yes! The need is great. We have gone from serving 58,000 individuals weekly to over 120,000.
Have you moved volunteers around to different assignments than they had previously due to the demands of the increased food distributions? Yes. We have volunteers working at our Mega Distributions in the community. We are supporting our agency network in meeting the increased need by doing pop-up distributions, and we are utilizing volunteers for home deliveries to seniors.
How often do you hold food distributions?
We are hosting 20-25 distributions per week in our 16-county service territory. This includes the Mega Distributions we are running, which are one or two times per week. Locations rotate based on the needs of the communities and the desire and ability to serve as many people as possible.
Do you help with the distributions? 
I certainly can’t take credit for the magic that is happening at our distributions. It is definitely a cross-sector of our amazing team that is making things happen on the ground. I have supported in product selection, logistics, site selection and staffing support. I’ve also jumped in to help at a few of the distributions. It’s humbling to see the families that have never had to ask for help before coming through the line.
What kind of help have you received from the community in the form of major donations of money and/or food?
The community has stepped up in a big way. We continue to see support coming in from individuals and corporations and are working with our local, state and federal partners as well. While food donations have declined, we do continue to see them come through the door, and we are so grateful for that.
What feedback do you get from the people who come to get food?
The families are grateful and relieved for the most part. Some are scared and stressed out when they arrive, but once they realize they don’t have to worry about food for a while, they calm down.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Click here to see how another of our grantee agencies, Project MEND, has transformed the life of a young boy.
