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It\u2019s a blistering day. The asphalt is hot, yet the dancers and vendors are out. The lines for free groceries from the Mission Food Hub are long, but COVID-19 testing is available as well as vendors offering jobs, education, free internet access, clothing, census registration and free dancing performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attendance for San Francisco\u2019s 2020 Carnaval on Sept. 5 and 6 was unexpectedly low overall\u2014only 394 people showed up for groceries for both Saturday and Sunday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI knew in December 2019 that the virus was going to hit this year and recommended to our organization to postpone the Carnaval until Labor Day weekend,\u201d said Roberto Y. Hernandez, lead organizer of Carnaval San Francisco, the slogan this year being Salud es Poder \u2014Health is Power. \u201cI never imagined that the virus would have spiked up as it did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when the pandemic hit San Francisco and the shelter-in-place orders went into effect, Hernandez asked a woman who had called asking for help, what her needs were. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s seven of us and only one day\u2019s food,\u201d the woman told Hernandez. \u201cThat was the beginning,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hernandez initially opened up his garage and packed it with 50-pound bags of rice, beans, and oatmeal. The operation was \u201cstrictly unsustainable.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carnaval sponsors quickly went into action, providing over 40 pallets of food, but Hernandez\u2019s garage was no longer big enough to house the food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The owner of 701 Alabama Street, Mission Language and Vocational School, gave Hernandez the keys to use the site for food distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn Cinco de Mayo, we provided over 500 families food,\u201d Hernandez said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, Hernandez is activating the hub three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) is servicing over 7,000 families with culturally appropriate food. The weekend of the event they gave away watermelons and ingredients to make menudo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur local state government has not met our needs,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cHub is listening. We created Carnaval … to heal and have the community recover from this virus. Carnaval is giving people hope.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Upon getting one\u2019s temperature checked\u2014assuring one is masked\u2014Carnaval goers were directed toward the COVID-19 testing area. Most people however headed straight for the grocery line with their carts in tow, wrapping around the block up to the entrance of 701 Alabama Street, which bustled with activity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hernandez shared a story of a man who had been picking up groceries from the hub who cried when he had gotten hired at the Carnaval job fair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI asked him why he was crying,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cHe told me he had five children and no funds since May 1 and was drowning everyday feeling worse that he could not pay the rent and support his family and the groceries he was being provided was his only lifeline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hernandez added that \u201cseveral people\u201d signed up for health coverage through the City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the tables at the fair was the City Arts and Tech High School, manned by principal Phillip Chardon and three students, where students pick a place to intern and learn skills not only to graduate from high school, but to contribute to their community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Barbary Coast Cannabis Dispensary and Delivery, located and 5th and Mission streets, was looking for budtenders. \u201cBusiness is good,\u201d said Bianca Starr Gutierrez. \u201cSales are up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jan Evans of security firm Allied Universal, said, \u201cWe\u2019re always hiring. We don\u2019t discriminate. We have all types of jobs ready and we are supportive of the community in San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another table belonged to the Code Enforcement Outreach Program, which advocates for tenants\u2019 rights and gave out leaflets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am grateful to all the community partners, sponsors, the City of San Francisco and the volunteers who believed in our vision to be present in this time, out on the streets to serve and love our community,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cWe learned a lot from the weekend from people living in this crisis and definitely the need exists to bring services directly to the people in our community.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s a blistering day. The asphalt is hot, yet the dancers and vendors are out. The lines for free groceries from the Mission Food Hub are long, but COVID-19 testing is available as well as vendors offering jobs, education, free internet access, clothing, census registration and free dancing performances. Attendance for San Francisco\u2019s 2020 Carnaval […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":45467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3570,7],"tags":[],"coauthors":[18445],"class_list":["post-45464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-news","category-news","post_format-post-format-gallery","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n