With demand for food assistance climbing across Texas, the San Antonio Food Bank is stepping beyond its warehouses to protect the nutrition programs that keep families fed. Mario Obledo Jr., the bank’s chief of government and public affairs, leads a small team that meets with elected officials, agency staff and community partners to explain how policy decisions affect San Antonio residents.
Local advocacy with a national reach
Obledo, a veteran of state and local government with more than two decades of experience, says the food bank’s advocacy role is common among larger food‑bank networks. “Our sister food banks have similar positions, not only in Texas but across the country,” he told KSAT.
The team works closely with Feeding Texas, Feeding America and other regional partners. Their focus is on federal, state and local policies that shape SNAP, school‑meal and other nutrition benefits. Meetings include elected officials, staff from the Texas Department of Agriculture, and members of the Health and Human Services Commission.
Advocacy, not lobbying
Obledo stresses that the food bank’s staff are advocates, not paid lobbyists. “We create awareness and information that we can disseminate to lawmakers and staff so they can make an educated decision when it comes to voting,” he said.
Traveling across Texas and making several trips each year to Washington, D.C., Obledo and colleague Stanley Sorrell share the bank’s priorities with members of Congress and their aides. They also connect with rural counties, chambers of commerce and other entities such as VIA Metropolitan Transit, SAWS, CPS Energy, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, University Health and UT San Antonio, recognizing that “education, health care, transportation, food—all those issues are tethered.”
Farm Bill and SNAP at the forefront
A top priority is the federal Farm Bill, which includes critical funding for SNAP and other nutrition programs. The current Farm Bill expires at the end of September, and Congress will soon have an opportunity to reauthorize it. Obledo warns that if key nutrition provisions are not renewed, food‑bank inventories could shrink and many families could lose essential assistance.
In addition to the Farm Bill, the food bank is preparing for the Texas legislative session that begins in January in Austin. Working with Feeding Texas, the team is drafting a policy‑priority package aimed at protecting and expanding nutrition benefits for the state’s most vulnerable residents.
Community impact
Obledo reminds listeners that the work is about more than paperwork. “People’s livelihoods count on us,” he said. By linking food assistance with other community services—health care, transportation and education—the food bank seeks to strengthen the safety net that families rely on every day.
For a full list of the advocacy priorities, readers can visit the San Antonio Food Bank’s advocacy webpage.
Original reporting: San Antonio, TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
