SAN ANTONIO – As inflation drives up prices, local efforts are being made to provide fresh and affordable food to San Antonio residents.
“It’s sad,” Lotus Rios said. “It’s prices. It is the inflation.”
Rios has been running this pantry for the past five years, but she said the need for fresh and affordable food might be the highest she’s ever seen.
“It has gotten increasingly worse,” Rios said. “You see more and more people that you would have never seen come to these pantries.”
Rios told KSAT that once a donation is brought into the community pantry, it will be cleared out in 30 minutes.
A lack of fresh and affordable food is the reason Rios said she offers 24/7 services. However, she’s only able to do this while supplies last.
“It’s kind of bare right now,” Rios said. “We need shelf-stable foods, clothing and socks.”
She said she’s not the only one trying to increase accessibility for people in need.
The Lemon Girls is a shop known for its ice-cold drinks, but it’s one refrigerator at the store that owner Desiree Cofino said has the biggest community impact.
“We have mushrooms, asparagus and different lettuces,” Cofino said. “We got into a program with the City of San Antonio called the Healthy Food Initiative.”
Through this program, Cofino said they get access to discounted foods. That means they are able to offer fresh vegetables and fruits at a cheaper price point.
“Accessibility isn’t just about prices,” Cofino said.
