AUSTIN, Texas - From April 9 to June 5, officials say that the Eating Apart Together (EAT) Initiative has distributed more than 100,000 meals to people experiencing homelessness.
That number includes both shelf-stable bags of food delivered to encampments and prepared meals served through soup kitchens and community outreach.
“COVID-19 has impacted us all, but for people experiencing homelessness the effects have quickly and severely cut off access to food, water, and hygiene resources,” City Manager Spencer Cronk says in a news release. “The EAT Initiative gets critical food into the community using the existing assets and relationships of every organization involved. Our city is healthier and safer because of the groups who have answered the call to do more in this time of need; none of us could do it alone.”
SIGN UP FOR FOX 7 AUSTIN EMAIL ALERTS
Austin City Council recently approved funding to continue the program through July 2020.
Partner organizations have taken on distributing the food across the city by adding meal delivery to existing services. Through partnerships, coordination, and cooperation, meals are meeting people where they are, usually in combination with other services like using showers, bathrooms, and distributing mail.
The EAT Initiative was formed to get nutrition to those who need it in a way that helps them participate in the public health response to COVID-19. It's a collective effort led by the City of Austin with several other organizations.
For more information about the program, you can go to http://www.austintexas.gov/eat.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST INFO ON THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
__
FOX 7 Austin is working to keep you up to date with coronavirus, with both local and national developments. You can also get the latest COVID-19 news from around the country at coronavirusnow.com.