District 3 Councilwoman Continues Planning for Food and Climate Equity

Published on June 01, 2023

SAN ANTONIO (June 1, 2023) — Today, City Council agreed to moved forward with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston’s agreement, which will implement a food insecurity assessment as part of City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health’s (Metro Health) SA Forward Plan to address food insecurity and nutrition. 

SA Forward is Metro Health’s community blueprint and was launched in April 2022 to help meet the needs of marginalized neighborhoods to foster resilience and healing, and to make San Antonio stronger, healthier, and better able to respond to future public health crises. One of its key areas is Food Insecurity and Nutrition. 

Objectives include:

• Improving knowledge about the nature and magnitude of hunger and food insecurity in San Antonio, identifying socioeconomic and systemic features of the problem.
• Providing an inventory of resources and existing assets that build community and neighborhood food resiliency.
• Connecting disparate facets of the food environment to inform decision-making, taking into consideration existing assets as well as gaps in resources and services.
• Informing the public about federal, state, and local initiatives that help alleviate food insecurity, and inspire individuals and organizations to get involved; and
• Creating a framework for future data collection, establishing a long-term monitoring system with clear indicators.

“Many neighborhoods in San Antonio lack access to grocery stores creating food insecurities,” said the Councilwoman. “This assessment is important for our community.”

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 50% of the census tracks in District 3 are considered food insecure. Metro Health’s Healthy Corner Store program was launched in 2019. The program started with eight members stores in City Council District 3 and has since grown to 33 member stores citywide.

District 3 was the first to host a Food Forest, Tamōx Talōm. Bexar County and the City worked together to create a public, edible landscape at Mission County Park to help battle food insecurity in the Southside. The District continues to address a variety of issues, including climate change and food insecurity. This year, Villa Coronado Park became the host of the food forest. In 2024, the District 3 office will be hosting a District 3 Sustainability Symposium.

“During the summer months, it is important to learn and understand the signs of heat-related illness and prevention” said the Councilwoman. “Last week the Planning and Community Development Committee discussed heat illness prevention measures.”