This article was written by BenitoLink intern Brea Spencer. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
A line of hundreds of cars snaked around the block near the San Benito Health Foundation in Hollister for its annual Feeding The Frontline event on Aug. 7.
The three-hour food giveaway hosted by the foundation was part of its 50th anniversary and a 60-year celebration for the National Association of Community Health Centers.
The Feeding The Frontline event provides food and resources to families going through hard times. Food for the event was donated by Community Foodbank of San Benito in partnership with the Health Foundation.
“People don’t get in line because they want something free, they get in line because they know they need it,” foundation board chair Arcadio Viveros said.
The Community Food Bank of San Benito County provided the food for the event.
Families and children were among the attendees. Amy, a school-age local resident, stressed the importance of providing resources to people who need them in a way that is easy to access.
These events, she said, “make Hollister a better community.”
Families filled the trunks of their cars with essential items including fresh produce, tortillas, dental care products and shelf-stable foods.
Viveros said access to food is tied to the foundation’s mission to keep the community healthy.
“As you can see, the need is out there,” he said.
Viveros stressed that the foundation is here for the community.
“We care about our neighbors,” he said.
A federally funded nonprofit health care center, San Benito Health Foundation provides health care services on a sliding scale based on income.
Rosa Fernandéz, foundation president and CEO, said the organization provides “comprehensive and quality services.”
Fernandéz said the foundation’s 50-year anniversary is a time of reflection. “We are proud of surviving.”
From challenges like COVID-19 to changes in the medical care system, Fernandéz said that they are continuing to grow their services.
When the giveaway started during the pandemic, 450 families received food. This year, the foundation was ready for more than 1,000.
Looking ahead, Viveros said the foundation has “a lot of hard work” to do.
In addition to expanding to San Juan Bautista with a clinic and housing projects, he said the foundation is working with area colleges to provide resident programs to medical students. He’s hoping to “create future doctors out of San Benito County, and inspire the future generation of individuals from this community.”
He said he also hopes that children who get access to medical care provided by the foundation will want to pursue medicine themselves.
“We grow our own providers; we grow our own doctors,” he said.
Viveros said the foundation provides services to everyone.
“Whether a farmworker or not, you are a resident of this community,” he said. “You should have access to health care.”
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