Over half a million meals served to Austin's homeless community
AUSTIN, Texas - A program launched by the City of Austin in response to food shortages experienced during the coronavirus pandemic has served more than 500,000 meals to the homeless community.
The meal and resource delivery program, Eating Apart Together (EAT), has also distributed more than 10,000 face coverings, seven pallets of dog food, 18,000 gallons of bottled water, and more than 132,000 individual bottles of water.
“The City of Austin is proud to lead such an ambitious and effective program, which has met a critical need for food in our community while simultaneously helping to minimize the spread of COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness,” Assistant City Manager Chris Shorter said. “EAT has opened new doors to partnering with community organizations and people experiencing homelessness to address our challenges with greater trust and collaboration. No one could do this on their own and we are thankful for every person who has gotten our community to this milestone.”
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The program was created to help address the critical need for food in the community while simultaneously helping to minimize the spread of COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness. The operation procures food for two-thousand shelf-stable bags and thousands of additional prepared meals a week.
Event staff at the Palmer Events Center spend two days a week helping to unpack, fill, and organize the bags of food for pick-up. These meals are distributed by community partners already providing outreach and services to those experiencing homelessness in Austin.
The City of Austin has funding to continue providing food for distribution through the end of the year. Individuals and organizations interested to help with supplies or distribution can reach out to Zack Shlachter via email, Zack.Shlachter@austintexas.gov.
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