Agency update: House of Neighborly Service
The House of Neighborly Service is focused on alleviating hunger on the West Side. In their service area, 40 percent of households are living below the poverty line. The HNS kitchen and food pantry are a vital service for those residents. But their aging building, completed in 1929, long has needed a larger, updated kitchen. That’s where Impact San Antonio came in.
House of Neighborly Service received a 2019 High Impact Grant from Impact SA to help update the kitchen. Our grant has funded the purchase of a walk-in cooler, storage racks for the pantry and kitchen, a reach-in refrigerator and freezer, a dishwasher, an ice machine, a food prep table, a stove and oven with hood, a triple compartment sink and a handwashing sink. Some of the equipment has been installed, with the rest due for installation later this month.
“As of right now, I am expecting the project to be completed by June 30, if all goes as planned,” said HNS Executive Director Sandra Morales. “Some of the work is hinging on CPS Energy coming in mid-June to do their work — installing underground cables, moving to a three-phase transformer and transferring power from our old panels to our new one.”
Like many construction projects, the one at HNS was impacted by the pandemic, Morales said.
“Covid had a hand in increasing our project budget significantly,” she said. “Initially, it was $1.4 million and has now risen to almost $2 million. Material costs skyrocketed and construction fees increased. We have had to raise additional money for this project to cover the higher costs, and we continue to do so.”
The building’s aging structure also caused delays because a new roof and kitchen beams had to be installed, Morales said. The agency kicked off a capital campaign in 2018 to fund the project, which also will include bigger classrooms, a new room for early intervention services, and new flooring and energy-efficient windows. The kitchen will double in size, she said.
When the kitchen upgrade is complete, HNS will be able to give better service to more people, she said. The new kitchen equipment will accommodate a growing number of senior citizens coming to the agency’s lunches and activities. Staff plan to serve 10 percent more home-style lunches for seniors, for a total of 20,000.
They will be able to provide two nutritious meals and a snack for an increasing number of students in their Kid’s Place program, plus snacks and light lunches over the summer for children in their Peace Pal Program. In total, that means almost 10,000 meals for children, Morales said.
One person who has been helped by the program is Pascual, an 89-year-old man who lives alone and has no family, she said. “He attends on-site events, we deliver meals to him Tuesday through Friday, and he receives case management services from our community health worker.”
After many years of making do with an old kitchen, HNS staff members are excited that a new one is coming soon, Morales said.
“We are grateful to Impact SA for the funding and for advice as we have undertaken this renovation,” she said.