EAT Initiative Receives Funding To Extend Program Through July

AUSTIN, TX —The Eating Apart Together (EAT) Initiative, a program from the City of Austin and community partners that works to distribute food to those experiencing homelessness amid COVID-19, has provided more than 100,000 since its launch on April 9. Having delivered shelf-stable bags of food directly to encampments and prepared meals served through soup kitchens and community outreach, and having helped countless families through these unprecedented times, the Austin City Council approved funding that would extend the program through July 2020.

“COVID-19 has impacted us all, but for people experiencing homelessness the effects have quickly and severely cut off access to food, water, and hygiene resources,” City Manager Spencer Cronk said. “The EAT Initiative gets critical food into the community using the existing assets and relationships of every organization involved. Our city is healthier and safer because of the groups who have answered the call to do more in this time of need; none of us could do it alone.”

Below is the schedule for getting bags between 9:00am and noon at Basic Needs Sites:

• Monday: Highway 71/Packsaddle Pass; Cesar Chavez/Pleasant Valley; 7th Street/Gonzalez
• Tuesday: Highway 71/Burleson Road; 183/Burnet Road; Little Walnut Creek Branch Library
• Wednesday: Slaughter & Menchaca; 183/Cameron Road
• Thursday: I-35/Airport
• Friday: Ruiz Branch Library; Pleasant Valley/Riverside Drive

Find these sites on the Basic Needs Map. Need food but not able to use this schedule? Call The Other Ones Foundation at 512-568-7557.

Ready-to-eat meals that can be picked up at existing service locations weekdays downtown and in South Austin, now with more meals to share. These meals are packaged and can be taken to a socially distant spot to eat.

• Angel House Soup Kitchen (Everyday, breakfast 9:30-10:00am; lunch 11:00am-12:30pm)
• Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center (M-F, 9:00am - 1:00pm)
• Micah 6 Pantry at University Presbyterian Church (TH; 6:00pm)
• Mobile Loaves and Fishes (see truck schedule here)
• First Baptist (M,W,F, 11:30 - 1:00pm)

Regular meal service is also available downtown at Caritas and Trinity Center. Find more food locations on our Basic Needs page or by calling 2-1-1/visiting connectatx.org.

For those Not Experiencing Homelessness

If you are not experiencing homelessness but are in need of food, please call 2-1-1 or visit connectatx.org for help.
If you have people power or food resources to contribute to this effort, please contact Zack Shlachter (zack.shlachter@austintexas.gov) with the City of Austin.

To learn more about the EAT Initiative, including updates and announcements, click HERE.