06/24/2024
Meating the Need Update – June 2024
Summer in San Antonio and its HOT! It is no wonder that the homeless in downtown have sought refuge at the Haven for Hope Homeless Shelter for a respite out of the heat. The section of Haven for Hope which serves the homeless still on the streets, the “unhoused” homeless, is called the Prospect’s Courtyard. This is also where the St. Vinny’s Bistro Kitchen is located. The Prospect’s Courtyard has a large, enclosed, outdoor courtyard in addition to an indoor space which is air-conditioned. During the summer, the outdoor courtyard utilizes a large misting system to cool down the area. Along with a place to come in out of the heat, the Prospect’s Courtyard provides bathroom facilities, showers, a place to wash clothes, a place to store possessions, assistance with medication, identification recovery service, access to a medical clinic, mental health services, dental services, job training and placement services, addiction counseling, and a pathway into permanent housing. Basically, the place has everything you would need to get you up and back on your feet. When you volunteer at St. Vinny’s Bistro Kitchen regularly, you will notice that there is a definite “turnover” in the homeless population. There is a percentage of hardcore homeless that you see over and over, but for the most part, it is a different crowed from the last time you were there. Hopefully, these people have received the help that they needed to overcome whatever life event put them there and have moved on with their lives.
The St. Vinny’s Bistro Kitchen plays a critical role in this rehabilitation process. Haven for Hope can’t help anyone unless they can get them in the door. We get them in the door by serving delicious and nutritious meals, hearty enough that no one goes away hungry. That is were Meating The Need comes in. We deliver every other Wednesday and have for the past 17 years. In the two weeks between deliveries, we are providing the main course item for 12 out of 14 nights. Chef Lorris uses what we provide to create incredible meals. While our Meating the Need volunteers are serving dinner, it is not uncommon for our homeless guests to yell in the kitchen door, “that was a great meal” and “thanks for coming down here to serve our meal.”
Our Meating The Need Volunteers were down at the kitchen serving dinner twice in the past six weeks (see photos below). Both nights we fed huge crowds. The second night, we fed 477 homeless guests. As I always say, if you come down to the kitchen to serve dinner, I promise you an enriching experience.
Meating The Need’s last delivery, through our friends at Sysco Foods, was on June 12th. Out next delivery will be this coming Wednesday, June 26th. Here is a list of what you purchased and we delivered:
130 lbs. Po***ck Fish Patties
200 lbs. Ground Beef
228 Salisbury Steaks
480 Beef Patties (4oz)
500 Polish Sausages
420 Breaded Chicken Breast Patties
40 lbs. Shredded Cheese (for Cheese Enchiladas)
480 Chicken Fried Steaks
2,560 Beef Meatballs
1,980 Breaded Steak Fingers
70 lbs. Pulled Breast of Chicken
144 oz. of Cream Gravy Mix
6 #10 Cans or 42 LBS Cut Green Beans
2 cases Fruit Punch Mix
Total $5,229.15
Please consider making a donation through our website, www.meatingtheneed.org or by mailing a check to:
Meating the Need
12500 San Pedro Ave. Suite 120
San Antonio, TX 78216
Our Board of Directors covers all administrative costs enabling 100% of donations to be used to buy food.
Thank you,
Gary Ploetz
President of the Board of Directors
Meating the Need
210-577-1949
