Arts nonprofit expands its mission to help people with food needs during pandemic
Jessica Ramos is grateful that she still has a job, but she said the pandemic brought on hardships as well.
“Costs keep going up because of the pandemic,” she said.
Ramos stopped by Central Arts, a nonprofit that provides art classes to the community, to pick up a turkey and trimmings to enjoy during Thanksgiving.
Ramos said she won’t see her family as they are in California.
“This is really helpful right now. The bills are still there,” she said as she left with her Thanksgiving feast.
Central Arts, with locations in Bedford and Hurst, stopped teaching most art classes because of the pandemic, but the organization took on a mission of providing food to anyone who needs it. This effort started last spring as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.
Central Arts set up food tables outside of the Hurst and Bedford locations, and people take what they need, or they drop off food.
Joshua Santillan, one of the founders of Central Arts, said he got the idea to set up food tables after he saw a post on the Facebook group, Resurrecting South Hurst, from a woman who was going through chemotherapy treatments and did not have food with enough protein.
Santillan said he offered to bring her chicken and pork, but he realized there was a hidden need in the community.
Santillan contacted Equal Heart, a food bank in Dallas, and asked for some food to put out for people in need because of the pandemic.
Equal Heart gave him rice, beans and perishables. During the summer Equal Heart helped with meals for children, he said.
“We wanted this to be as judgment-free as possible,” he said. “When you haven’t had to ask, you don’t know how to ask.”
Santillan said people do not have to provide information about their income or where they live.
He described hearing stories from people who were working for American Airlines and no longer have jobs. People told Santillan they had “good jobs” at the mall and their hours were cut.
“All of a sudden, you go from having a decent job to not having a job. You go from making money to not having money,” Santillan said.
Central Arts worked with the Airport Area YMCA to provide the Thanksgiving meals. The YMCA provided the food, and Central Arts helped with getting the word out on social media.
Jessica Bruda, executive director of the Airport Area YMCA, said she “stole” Santillan’s food table concept and started a sharing table outside of the Y in Bedford in an area where the need is not obvious.
Bruda said the food tables are helping families who have never needed food before.
“There is definitely more of a need now than there has been before,” she said.
Bruda said she contacted Santillan when she learned that the Y was going to give away food for Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile, people either walked up to the tables or came in their cars while volunteers encouraged them to pick up a Thanksgiving turkey.
Jose Gutierrez, who stopped to pick up a meal, said he heard about the Thanksgiving food from a friend.
Gutierrez, who is a roofer, said he is concerned about his mother who is ill and cannot leave the house.
“I think this will help people who don’t have money or who really can’t go out to buy a meal and have a happy Thanksgiving,” Gutierrez said.
Santillan plans to continue putting food out for anyone who needs help.
“It’s almost like a sacred mission; you just can’t stop doing it. Our goal is to continue this until there is no longer a need for it,” Santillan said.