2026 CREA Program Kicks Off at the San Antonio Food Bank

This year, we are proud to welcome 20 new CREA fellows from the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Alamo Colleges District. These students bring energy, curiosity, and a shared commitment to understanding how food systems, land stewardship, and community resilience all come together in practice.

Our first visit of the season brought us back to the San Antonio Food Bank, where we were generously hosted by Farm Coordinator Torin Metz. This visit continues a growing series of CREA engagements with the Food Bank, offering students a direct look at one of the most important food access organizations in our region.

The San Antonio Food Bank serves a vast area across Southwest Texas, reaching more than 90,000 square miles and supporting communities across dozens of counties. Each year, the organization distributes well over 60 million pounds of food, working through a network of partner agencies, volunteers, and programs that collectively serve hundreds of thousands of individuals and families. For many across Central and South Texas, the Food Bank is not just a resource, it is a lifeline.

During our visit, students toured the main warehouse and distribution facilities, gaining insight into the scale and coordination required to move that volume of food efficiently. From there, we stepped outside to explore the farm operations, where innovation and stewardship are becoming increasingly central to their work.

Students had the opportunity to see equipment such as a no till drill, part of a broader shift toward regenerative agriculture practices that prioritize soil health, water retention, and long term productivity. We also discussed forward looking ideas, including the potential to capture condensation from the main warehouse roof and redirect that water into the farm’s drip irrigation system. In a region where water scarcity is a growing concern, these kinds of integrated solutions matter.

Before heading out to the fields, we spent time in the greenhouse and at the Hunters for the Hungry program. The greenhouse is off to a strong start this season, with healthy plant starts and clear momentum behind expanding production. Inside the processing area, students witnessed firsthand how donated deer are handled through Hunters for the Hungry, a volunteer driven effort that transforms wild game into high quality protein for families in need.

Programs like this also point to a deeper ecological story.

In Texas, and especially in the Hill Country, managing white tailed deer populations is essential for maintaining balance on the land. As Aldo Leopold writes in Thinking Like a Mountain, the absence of natural predators can fundamentally alter ecosystems. Thoughtful harvest, paired with community distribution, becomes a way to restore balance while nourishing people at the same time.

Out in the fields, the farm team walked us through current production. At the time of our visit, they were finishing a cabbage harvest, preparing beds for spring planting, and maintaining cover crops to protect and build soil through the dry winter months. Like many across the region, they are watching the skies closely and hoping for rain.

Looking ahead, CREA interns will continue working alongside the Food Bank team this spring, contributing to daily farm operations while learning the systems that make this work possible. These early season visits set the tone for the year, grounding students in real world experience and reminding all of us what it looks like when community, land, and purpose come together in one place.

We are grateful to Torin Metz and the entire San Antonio Food Bank team for opening their doors once again and helping us kick off another strong year for the CREA program.