ON A MISSION

A SAN ANTONIO FOOD BANK REVIVES HISTORIC FARMLAND TO GROW FOOD FOR FAMILIES IN NEED.

IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, THE LATEST METHOD OF COMBATING AND PREVENTING HUNGER IS NEARLY 300 YEARS OLD.

A partnership between the San Antonio Food Bank and the historic Mission San Juan, built by Spanish missionaries in 1731, allows the food bank to plant, nurture and harvest about 250,000 pounds of fresh produce per year.

“It was a call from the National Park Service that invited us to the table,” says Eric Cooper, president and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank. The park service suggested that the food bank lease 50 acres of farmland for $1 and restore it to productivity using the park’s water rights to irrigate crops.