A heart-wrenching consequence of the coronavirus pandemic was on full display Thursday in Texas as more than 10,000 families lined up at a San Antonio flea market for a massive food distribution event.
The San Antonio Food Bank was scheduled to serve about 5,200 preregistered families, but thousands more showed up seeking help to feed their loved ones.
"We tried to qualify people on site," Food Bank president and CEO Eric Cooper told the San Antonio Express-News. "There were a few folks who showed up that didn't qualify ... but then there were those who showed up and said, 'I heard this was happening. I didn't know I had to register, but I need food. I am a hotel worker and I was laid off.' Those are the stories we heard from a lot of people who showed up."
Cooper said it was the largest crowd the organization ever served in its 40-year history. The event was supposed to end at 2 p.m., but it went on until almost 6 p.m. as hundreds of volunteers tried feeding as many families as possible.
The 1 million pounds of food that were brought to the site Thursday morning quickly ran out and Cooper had to call the Food Bank warehouse to send more trucks, he told the Express-News.
It was a remarkable sign of the devastating economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced numerous businesses to close their doors and furlough workers across the country.
The number of people filing first-time unemployment claims has exploded in the recent weeks. Figures released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor show that nearly 17 million people have sought the benefit in the past three weeks.
In other words, more than 10% of Americans workers have lost their job since the pandemic began _ the worst string of job losses since 1948.
After Thursday's record-breaking turnout in San Antonio, the Food Bank is asking the state for $12 million so it can continue providing assistance to the growing number of families in need.
