More than 2,000 HIV-positive people accessed Resource Center program last year
By Tammye Nash | Managing Editor
In 2012, 49 million Americans lived in “food insecure households,” according to statistics posted on the North Texas Food Bank’s website.
Disabilities — including HIV/AIDS — are associated with higher risk for food insecurity, the website notes, and nearly one in three food insecure households include a working-age adult with a disability.
The purpose of Resource Center Food Pantry, part of the center’s Nutrition Program which also includes the Hot Meals Program, is to combat hunger among those with HIV/AIDS. In the 12-month period ending on Sept. 30 last year, the pantry had done just that for more than 2,100 HIV-positive people. Of those individuals, 1,653 — or 60 percent — had incomes at or below the federal poverty level of $11,490 per year.
According to statistics provided by Food Pantry Manager Daniel Sanchez, the pantry served 1,961 clients with 31,880 weekly pantry visits. Clients are allowed one visit per week, and can make their own selections from among the available items, “within limits established for inventory control and fairness,” according to information Sanchez provided.
During that same year, the center’s Hot Meals Program served 18,443 lunches to 1,079 people with HIV at the Resource Center Community Center, 2701 Reagan. This program provides many clients with their only hot meal of the day, while at the same time giving them “their only chance for stigma-free social interactions,” center officials said.
Both programs are kept afloat by volunteers, donations and the support of the community, said Rafael McDonnell, communications and advocacy manager for Resource Center. The Food Pantry gets much of its stock from the North Texas Food Bank, but the pantry is always in need of donations, as well, he said.
“Our needs are fairly consistent throughout the year,” McDonnell said. But events in other parts of the country, or even the world, can have an impact on the food supply that “trickles down” to the Food Pantry, he said.
“We are headed into the summer storm season, and sometimes when a major storm or some other disaster hits, then the food supply system shifts to disaster mode,” McDonnell said. “When that happens, food we would have had access to is sent to these other locations.
“For instance, in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy hit the east coast, the only kind of meat we could get here were lamb trotters, which are the front legs of a lamb. And lamb is not something a lot of people like,” McDonnell said.
Such events can also cause local donations to the Food Pantry to take a dip, he added, since people shift their donations to disaster relief efforts.
But even under normal circumstances, McDonnell said, the Food Pantry is always in need of certain kinds of donations.
“We are always looking for donations of items we can’t get” from NTFB. That includes things like sauces, ketchup, mustard, spices — “the things you put in your foods to give them flavor,” he said. “We have clients that are gluten-intolerant, so we need gluten-free donations. And of course, we always need the protein items; peanut butter is one of our most cyclical items.”
McDonnell said Nutrition Program officials are also “working aggressively to get in-kind donations” to broaden the variety of items the Hot Meals Program can offer its clients. Seven different Starbucks locations in Dallas have recently agreed to donate surplus pastries each day, and Whole Foods Market has agreed to donate its fresh cut fruits that do not sell to the program. Brinker International restaurant chain has also agreed to donate some of its “just-in-time-dated” foods — canned foods that are reaching their expiration date.
According to information provided by Sanchez, the pantry currently needs:
• Shelf-stable proteins such as canned tuna, chicken or salmon, Vienna sausages or deviled ham, chili, stews, meaty soups, mac and cheese and canned pastas with meat.
• Instant meals such as ramen, protein bars, soup cups and protein supplements.
• Breakfast cereals, including dry cereals, oatmeal and instant outmeal.
• Canned fruits and vegetables.
• Meal “fixings,” including items like canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, marinara sauce, condiments, picante sauce, cooking sauces and spices.
Sanchez noted about 30 percent of the clients the pantry serves are homeless or in unstable housing situations. Those homeless clients, he said, can best utilize small or single-serving-size containers, preferably with pop-tops.
In addition to donations of food items, the Nutrition Program can also use volunteers from the community, McDonnell said. He said anyone interested in volunteering can contact Sanchez at 528-0744.
Donations can be dropped off at the Resource Center Food Pantry, 5450 Denton Drive Cut-off, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Mondays or between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. Donations can also be taken to Resource Center Community Center, 2701 Reagan St., between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition July 4, 2014.