Southside families found relief Monday, when the Southside’s Pica Pica Plaza parking lot transformed into a Lots of Love food distribution center.
The initiative is a partnership between the San Antonio Food Bank and Pica Pica Plaza Ownership Group, which owns and manages the shopping center, and Flip’z Entertainment, an indoor activity park located there.
Lots of Love has raised more than $450,000 for the Food Bank — enough to feed 3,500 families in a part of town hit hardest by the economic calamity caused by the pandemic. Monday’s inaugural distribution provided produce and H-E-B gift cards to 280 families.
“This initiative originated after my partners and I realized we needed to step up and help our tenants and their families. We rallied and provided them with a rent abatement and several weeks of food,” Pica Pica Plaza Managing Partner Al Honigblum said in a release.
“I then realized … I could potentially help relieve the stress on the Food Bank distribution centers by opening up my parking lot,” he added.
“The San Antonio Food Bank has worked tirelessly to meet the increase in demand for food and resources, but we depend wholeheartedly on the community to help us in this struggle,” SA Food Bank President and CEO Eric Cooper said. “The Lots of Love initiative is an example of the support we desperately need.”
Honigblum said business owners have a duty to help the community.
“I hope this initiative inspires other businesses to donate to Lots of Love so that that the Food Bank can continue to help communities in need.”
Monday’s distribution was the first of five scheduled events. The next occurs Wednesday afternoon, at Pica Pica Plaza. Lots of Love is accepting online donations through the San Antonio Food Bank website.
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This article appears in Apr 22 – May 5, 2020.
