
San Antonio is a Compassionate City!
. . . one where the civic government, the religious and volunteer organizations, the businesses, the community and its educational institutions come together to recognize the importance and value of compassion in the life of a city and by doing so create an ethos of compassion and a safety net for its most vulnerable citizens. Every Wednesday, Compassionate San Antonio publishes a roundup of the compassionate acts we’ve found. Use the hashtag #compassionateSA so we can find YOUR compassionate actions! Follow us on @compassionNET1 to see them on Twitter as we find them.
Compassionate Acts in past 149 weeks

Compassion HERE! This Week in SATX
Spurs star, lover of animals Lonnie Walker IV working to raise awareness for San Antonio Zoo | Whataburger donates $30,000 to San Antonio Food Bank | USAA makes large donation of $1 million to Food Bank | San Antonio schools closed by coronavirus work to keep their students from falling off the map | No Evictions for Now in Bexar County, But Renters’ Struggles Likely to Persist | Navarra Williams Retires After 13 Years at SAMMinistries’ Helm | Time has come to address digital divide | Private sector steps up to raise more than $6 million for San Antonio Food Bank | Iconic Food Bank photo made COVID economic hardship impossible to ignore | In tragedy, strangers unite to offer comfort | UT San Antonio to hire more counselors, expand access to mental health services | Coronavirus Crisis Brings Harsh Challenges to San Antonio’s Undocumented Community | Texas’ Front-Line Workers in the Pandemic Are Predominantly Women and People of Color, Analysis Finds | ‘I don’t want to die in here:’ San Antonio inmates urge local, state officials to rethink parole guidelines as coronavirus spreads | Young ‘hunger fighter’ works with San Antonio Food Bank as AmeriCorps volunteer, serving the community she loves | San Antonio’s BiblioTech branches reopen in pandemic mode to provide much-needed computer services | Chow Train Has Cooked Nearly 45,000 Meals for San Antonio’s Most Vulnerable | San Antonio Pre-K teacher takes classroom to her students’ yards, driveways | Silver Eagle Beverages donating $50,000 to San Antonio Food Bank | Local Businesses Step Up to Food Distribution Plate During Coronavirus | More woes pile atop housing crisis | Children’s Shelter to offer advice for stressed-out families live on Facebook | How Salvation Army is feeding, sheltering San Antonio community during COVID-19 crisis | Hot Wells Conservancy Launches Initiative to Help San Antonio Chef Feed the Elderly | San Antonio social service nonprofit sees demand double by vulnerable seniors | SA Food Bank hosts another massive food giveaway at Traders Village | San Antonio To Give Small Businesses $1.4M Worth Of PPE, Other Supplies | Colegios comunitarios de SA ofrecen ayuda de emergencia a estudiantes | Burger Boy, State Farm agents giving away $5,000 worth of gift cards to essential workers | Spurs make $500,000 donation to set up fund for first responders, families and businesses affected by pandemic | After National TV Appearance, Noodle Tree Chef Will Distribute Surgical Masks to San Antonians |

Compassion Here! This Week in SATX
UTSA Launches Program to Get Small Businesses Back on Sound Footing | It’s Time for San Antonio’s New Deal | La casa de los Spurs ofrece internet gratuito a estudiantes y trabajadores | San Antonio and Bexar County now has a number of groups tackling the COVID-19 crisis. Here’s a guide to them | Local Muslims try to remain hopeful as COVID-19’s ‘new normal’ impedes Ramadan | Pandemic thrusts our inequality into the spotlight | Front Line Domestic Workers Deserve More | SA City Council approves emergency housing assistance funding | ‘Little Library’ offers free art supplies for students amid COVID-19 pandemic | Big Need Inspires San Antonio Artist To Do Something Small | Helping folks during the coronavirus pandemic in San Antonio — one egg at a time | Helping the Homeless Requires Making Real Connections | KLRN, Other PBS Stations Partner With TEA to Educate Via TV | Spurs, City of S.A. team up to give game plan to fight COVID-19 | Sign Language Interpreters Are Translating a Pandemic | San Antonio Food Bank benefits from Sikh philosophy of ‘selflessness’ | Catholic Worker House on east side continues to help those who need it amid coronavirus pandemic | Methodist Healthcare Ministries Awards $1.1 Million in South Texas for Coronavirus Relief | San Antonio Fashion Designer Stacy Williams Donates Over 700 Face Masks to Frontline Workers | Support the San Antonio Food Bank During To Go For Good | Alamo Colleges Invests $10M To Waive Tuition, Outstanding Balances This Summer | Local art teacher delivers art supplies in pizza boxes for his students | Tap Pilam addressing pandemic while continuing its battle at the Alamo | Local Specialty Foods Brand GoodHeart Donates 40,000 Meal Kits to San Antonio Families | Professor helps feed S.A.’s less fortunate during pandemic | San Antonio nonprofits and funders step up in a time of need | United Way starts online volunteering platform to help struggling San Antonio nonprofits during coronavirus pandemic | San Antonio third grader sews masks for neighbors, healthcare workers, Bexar County constables | South Side business owner, San Antonio Food Bank hosts food distributions in parking lots |

Compassion HERE! This Week in SATX
South Side man puts up box filled with masks and gloves to help community in crisis | We are calling on every San Antonian to keep our kids safe | Together, we keep Meals on Wheels rolling | Local Christmas light show designer making intubating boxes for doctors on the front lines | Workers loading Food Bank’s 18-wheelers find fulfillment, fellowship as they prep for another massive giveaway in San Antonio | Stop moralizing bailouts, assistance to poor — not just in COVID-19 relief but in all assistance programs | ‘Juggling Chainsaws’: Metro Health’s Emerick on Starting a New Job Amid a Pandemic | Restaurant owner provides meals to furloughed workers | Donations buoy S.A. Food Bank as thousands show up for latest mass giveaway | San Antonio Food Bank, Haven for Hope to receive Hearst Foundations aid | Child Care Empowers Our Most Essential Workers | Restore Education distributes 40 refurbished laptops to workforce training students | Food Bank, Southside ISD find a way through storm | Child Advocates of San Antonio virtually swear in more than 40 volunteers | San Antonio’s Alta Vista Neighborhood Unites with the Keep It Together Project | Woman donates several sewing machines to those making masks | Home Depot donates masks to Bexar County Sheriff’s Office | Health teams go door-to-door, educating still-open San Antonio businesses about coronavirus | Food truck owner gives out 4,000 free barbeque plates to hungry neighbors | Giving has no limits, and happens in surprising ways | ‘The Frontline of Hope | Mental health, substance abuse needs for those overwhelmed rising | Organizan distribuciones de alimentos para familias necesitadas | As Black Community Faces Undue Virus Impact, Town Hall Series Launched | One on one with Mayor Nirenberg as San Antonio grapples with coronavirus pandemic | City of San Antonio must pass its own stimulus package for those left behind | In time of high stress, San Antonio Food Bank staff puts needs of community first | Feed the Frontline SATX Helps Health Care Workers and Local Restaurants During Pandemic | Sikh Dharamsal Sets Massive Fundraising Goal For San Antonio Food Bank | San Antonio’s Inequality Endangers Its Most Vulnerable Residents During the Coronavirus Crisis |

Compassion HERE! This Week in SATX
San Antonio school nurses head to NYC to help fight coronavirus | COVID-19 Response Fund grows to $3.9 million to help local nonprofits | Austin-Based Rapper Teams Up with San Antonio Spurs Coyote for “Hip-Hop Health PSA” | Texas Diaper Bank Works to Meet Surge in Demand During Pandemic | UTSA awarded $50,000 gift from Frost over coronavirus-related hardships | Food Drive at Central Catholic High School Brings in Huge Donations | Iconic San Antonio Eatery Earl Abel’s Donates Meals to Frontline Workers | Child Abuse Is On The Rise During COVID-19. Here’s How You Can Help | Thousands hit hard by coronavirus pandemic’s economic fallout seek help from San Antonio Food Bank | Free meals delivered to war veterans during coronavirus pandemic | SA author Shea Serrano raises over $80K for San Antonio Food Bank | Closed for coronavirus and teaching remotely, San Antonio schools hunt for missing students | Here’s a great, free tool used to connect you with compassionate resources in San Antonio | Med students want your trash to transform into life-saving treasures | Feeding those on the front lines against the coronavirus | Stuck At Home With Perpetrators, Domestic Violence Survivors Struggle To Seek Help | Escasean las pañales de bebés en Texas, pero estas organizaciones pueden ayudarle | Lanzan línea directa para ayudar a personas sin hogar | Coronavirus hurting low-wage workers the most | Don’t settle for a return to the old normal | Food distributor continues father’s legacy of charity across San Antonio | San Antonio Oasis creates program to check on seniors’ welfare | San Antonio Food Bank CEO talks struggle of feeding 120K people with Today Show | San Antonio justice shares her personal battle against coronavirus during children’s town hall | Mayor Nirenberg, Justice Chapa host children’s town hall, answer questions on COVID-19 | San Antonio peer support counselor offers first responders help via virtual conferences | Local African-American community reeling from high COVID-19 numbers | San Antonio nurse heads to coronavirus front lines in New York City | We need to end the gaping digital divide | Homeless Connections Hotline becomes lifeline for those without shelter | Spurs’ Popovich inspires weary San Antonio Food Bank staff | Tens of thousands of vulnerable San Antonio residents don’t have internet access. How do they get COVID-19 information? | 18 More Ways You Can Find Help or Be a Helper | Local company makes $50,000 donation to hard-hit San Antonio Food Bank | At-risk homeless get 3-star treatment at empty hotel, helping decrease spread of deadly virus | COPS/Metro proposes sweeping late-fee protections for renters | San Antonio Food Bank trims request for badly needed aid to boost its chances of approval | Toyota provides first responders with face shields amid coronavirus crisis | Local church continues to feed hungry during pandemic | Local Pastor using money raised through church to give back | VIA partners with SAHA, SAISD, City and Northside ISD to tackle digital divide | Please join us in thanking San Antonio’s frontline service providers and essential workers. | Mayor Ron Nirenberg and The San Antonio Observer tackle emerging Coronavirus attacks on communities of color and underserved populations |

Compassion HERE! This Week in SATX
Shoppers urged to forgo certain products to give WIC recipients a chance to buy groceries | Funeral home adapts to coronavirus | San Antonio to observe moment of silence in honor of COVID-19 victims | As COVID-19 spreads, food insecurity surges | Students explore issue of community compassion during pandemic | San Antonio seeks to piece together coronavirus ‘safety net’ for homeless population | With doors closed, Boys & Girls Clubs still reaching out | San Antonio area ISDs donate medical supplies to local hospitals | To stay sober during the coronavirus pandemic, members of 12-Step groups move online | New rent relief program aimed at people who lost jobs to COVID-19 | Valero announces massive production of hand sanitizer to assist in fight against COVID-19 | Periods SATX helping women in need, offering supplies to those financially struggling | YMCA Stands Up Emergency Child Care for Essential Workers | S.A. Food Bank giveaway draws a queue of cars stretching miles | Homeless ministry serving meals at city parks, at least for now | The Helpers: Fashion Designer Sews Stylish Masks to Help Protect Against Coronavirus | Mental-health court adopts reforms in a time of crisis | Toro and Other Local Restaurants Give Back to Laid-Off Workers | 32 Ways San Antonians Are Kicking Ass During the Coronavirus Pandemic | The Helpers: How San Antonio is Meeting the Coronavirus Call to Action | The lives we are saving by staying home | Local non profit handing out hundreds of meal kits, medical masks | San Antonio-based prison ministry launches letter-writing campaign to inmates | San Antonio Food Bank calling on community to fast, pray, donate on Good Friday | Patti Radle Doesn’t Want to Get Back to ‘Normal’ | Quiet downtown San Antonio sprinkled with ‘Sí Se Puede’ signs of encouragement thanks to this woman | City Will Use Hotel to Shelter Vulnerable Homeless Population | Campaign promotes ‘Heartshakes’ as safer alternative to fist, elbow bumps | Chow Train rides in to provide COVID-19 relief | Pandemic shows why city’s utilities need to restructure rates | ‘An Immediate Need’: San Antonio Nonprofit Sews Masks For Military, Veterans | San Antonio Food Bank needs 100 volunteers for mega distribution event Thursday |

Compassion HERE! This Week in SATX
Bexar County commissioner seeks donated plastic for COVID-19 face shields | San Antonio groups like Culinaria, Jason Dady, coming to the aid of laid-off restaurant, bar workers in food and beverage industry | As Supplies Dwindle, San Antonio Spirits Makers Turn Focus to Distilling Sanitizer | San Antonio police see 21% increase in family violence call volume compared to this time last year | Inside the Story of How H-E-B Planned for the Pandemic | ‘This is the right thing to do’: San Antonio coffee shop owners deliver hundreds of meals to elderly | ‘Heart and hearth’: San Antonians sparing goods to create sidewalk food pantries during pandemic | San Antonio Botanical Garden Donating Veggies It Grows to Feed People During Coronavirus Crisis | Volunteers Fan Out to Deliver Meals to City’s Most Vulnerable | Clack: From a distance, hold tight to one another | Rapier Family donates $1 million to feed nearly 6,000 older adults in Texas, Florida | City, Advocates for the Homeless Prepare for Spread of Coronavirus | H-E-B says it will donate 500,000 meals to food banks in San Antonio, across Texas | Local man offering free plants to ease stress for San Antonians during COVID-19 pandemic | San Antonio Bodega Brings Necessities to West Side Community | A San Antonio Effort To Avoid A Ventilator Shortage Has Grass Roots | There’s never been a better time to grow your own food. This San Antonio garden wants to help you out. | Haven For Hope In San Antonio Implements New Policies After Washington Post Article Sounds Alarms | San Antonio homeless shelters struggle to balance needed services with preventing coronavirus outbreak in crowded facilities | Cornerstone Church to start serving 2,000 hot meals daily, delivery and drive-thru services | When coronavirus evacuees arrived, Military City, USA, responded | Monte Vista Woman’s ‘Little Free Pantry’ Sparks Community Generosity | San Antonio-Based H-E-B Gives Grant to Texas Environmental Organization | San Antonio Area Foundation, United Way of San Antonio & Bexar County and Multiple Partners Award First Grants from the COVID-19 Response Fund | Shutdown Heightens Hunger, Isolation Among San Antonio’s Low-Income Elderly | Former Spurs player George Hill gives back to city’s frontline heroes during coronavirus pandemic | San Antonio’s Frost donates $2 million for coronavirus relief efforts | Seniors Stay Connected During Isolation Through Virtual Learning | High school student helps San Antonio build coronavirus self-screening webpage | Mission Park opens world’s first drive-in funeral theatre |

Compassion Here! This Week in SATX
County Plans Interest-Free Loans for Small Businesses; Court, Jail Procedures Adjusted | Going beyond the game: NISD coaches helping distribute meals to students while schools remain closed | SeaWorld San Antonio donates over 6,000 pounds of food to San Antonio Food Bank | San Antonio Zoo Donates Food | Giving big crucial to curb COVID-19 pandemic | Amid COVID-19, bump the shake; connect in new way | While We Are Apart, Reading Can Help Us Better Connect With Each Other | Area Foundation, United Way Start San Antonio Coronavirus Response Fund | A nonprofit had to send home 99% of its volunteers. Here is how you can help | Metro Health COVID-19 hotline grows from 2 lines to 13 due to heavy call volume | Big Give Launches Emergency Relief Fundraiser During COVID-19 | Restaurants Help Provide Pantry Staples During Coronavirus | San Antonio food pantries address growing need to provide groceries during coronavirus pandemic | Worried about the coronavirus? These San Antonio residents banded together to help others. Here’s how you can, too. | VIA Suspends Fares in Midst of Coronavirus Pandemic | Local musician uses talent to ease customers at grocery stores | Neighbors answer nurse’s call for help making homemade face masks | Innovation takes over San Antonio as people look to help how they can | SeaWorld donates 45 cases toilet paper to military medical trainees at Fort Sam Houston | Tim Duncan Is Helping Virgin Island Students Get Home | Food wholesaler donates food to San Antonio restaurant workers laid off because of the coronavirus pandemic | San Antonio Brewer and Distiller Ranger Creek Making Free Hand Sanitizer to Keep Up With Shortage | KSAT Community phone bank raises more than $40,000 for Meals on Wheels S.A. | New San Antonio poet laureate Andrea ‘Vocab’ Sanderson is on the job | Alamo Colleges creates ‘COVID-19 Student Impact Fund’ to help students in need ‘I’m not willing to sacrifice anyone’ | | Nonprofit, local restaurants team up to feed laid off hospitality service workers for free | Local Leaders’ Treatment of Latin-American Residents in the ’30s Offers Lesson on How We Should Respond to the Current Crisis | Coronavirus Is Contagious, But So Is Kindness | How one San Antonio woman helped create a viral online movement as the coronavirus spreads | Nirenberg: Slow spread of coronavirus, then rebuild and recover |

Compassion Here! This Week at SATX
Clack: Stay strong by maintaining our community | Emptying Store Shelves Won’t Help Stop the Spread of Coronavirus, Social Distancing Will | These are necessary moves for public health | Some SA parents scrambling to make plans for children who will remain home from school next week | Gordon Hartman Is On A Mission To Make San Antonio Accessible To Everyone | Newly Promoted Municipal Executive Wants to ‘Liberate’ City Employees | Amid Covid-19 concerns, don’t forget those in need | Fort Sam Soldiers Practice Mindfulness in ‘Resiliency Kitchen’ | Texas Pastor Uses Chicken to Explain Church’s First Live Streaming Service | USAA donating $1 million to SA nonprofits responding to coronavirus | San Antonio pastor ministers to those in need at East Side church | Spurs establish fund for part-time workers after season suspended due to coronavirus | Somos Neighbors Highlights Life Expectancy Disparities in Bexar County | H-E-B makes donation to local researchers tackling coronavirus | Evictions in Bexar County suspended due to COVID-19 concerns | Coronavirus isn’t stopping churches from feeding the homeless | With Fundraiser Cancellations, Emergency Relief Becomes a Focus | San Antonio Food Bank launches ‘Neighbor Helping Neighbor’ relief effort |

Compassion Here! This Week in SATX
Medical Students Learn Vital Skills While Helping the Community | Legacies of Love: Happened By Chance Horses | Legacies of Love: San Antonio Amputee Foundation | Council passes ordinance mandating baby changing stations in men’s and women’s bathrooms | Nirenberg: San Antonio has shown compassion and gumption in coronavirus fight | ‘We are not alone’: Owner of Southtown office lost in fire pens letter thanking San Antonio | UTSA program is music to the ears of West Side kids | How CPS ‘Rainbow Rooms’ serve TX kids and how you can help | Personal growth as well as leafy greens thrive in San Antonio nonprofit’s new hydroponic farm | Local school district partners with farmers to bring fresh vegetables and fruits to campuses | San Antonio museum sensory tours allow the blind to again ‘see’ art | San Antonio pushes to grow access to financial services, education in fight against persistent poverty | Mitch Hagney: From Trinity debater to Local Sprout CEO | Big Mama blogger Melanie Shankle talks about her new book “On the Bright Side” | CPS Energy won’t disconnect services while San Antonio deals with coronavirus |

Compassion Here! This Week at SATX
How to Change the Poverty Mindset | SA dad works to give away free helmets in wake of bike crash tragedy | Spurs to fund ‘Culinary Health Education for Families’ in 40 SAISD schools | Nonprofit named for teen killed by SAPD officer seeks to heal | To Combat Poverty, Renamed Center Aims to ‘Meet People Where They Are’ | Alternative is fine, but giving to panhandlers is a personal choice | Filling bowls and souls part of San Antonio Empty Bowls 2020 | San Antonio woman finds common thread of purpose as head seamstress of South Side nonprofit | Local students help custodians clean cafeteria instead of socializing during lunch | SA Food Bank to launch coronavirus preparedness and prevention campaign | Formerly Homeless Woman Giving Teachers Tools to Break Cycle |

Compassion Here! This Week in SATX
Free San Antonio education program helps adults finish college | UTSA students can get free food from Whataburger Resource Room | San Antonio education leaders, advocates convene to address youth homelessness | H-E-B leads children’s book launch to let every girl know she is enough | Comfort Cafe SA serves food, new lease on life | Local program aims to combat eviction in San Antonio | ‘Pennies for Literacy’ campaign provides new books for HGMS students | ‘Can’t Beat Love Teen Film Contest’ raises awareness for teen dating violence | Homeless outreach pilot program recommended for expansion | A Lesson for San Antonio: Texas Schools Where ‘Poverty Is Not Destiny’ | Humanity, knowledge way to treat virus panic | Local nonprofit organization addressing child care issues in Bexar County | 10 New positions added to SAPD Crisis Response Team to address family violence | The San Antonio Symphony Brings Music And Memories To Those With Dementia | Church provides homeless a place to sleep to escape freezing temperatures |

Compassion Here! This Week in SATX
Disconnect’ exists between city officials, service organizations when it comes to San Antonio’s homeless | UT Dentistry providing free oral health care for over 250 Edgewood ISD students | San Antonio Teacher Fights for Fellow Dreamers | The Magical Piñata Teaches Sharing, Centers Culture | Anonymous $5k donation pays off a thousand NEISD students’ school lunch balances | Words from the wise: San Antonio seniors offer tips on lasting love | Bexar County sets aside $7 million for mental health programs | 500 free trees to be given away at Confluence Park event | Photographer’s portraits display San Antonio’s diverse population | Classroom libraries at San Antonio’s Southwest High School help turn students who ‘hate’ books into readers | Bartender shares history of alcohol abuse to inspire others | Personajes de Disney visitan clínica para alegrar a cientos de niños hospitalizados en San Valentín | Parkinson’s patients taking punches at the disease during weekly boxing classes | UT Health San Antonio Will Head Statewide Opioid Addiction Initiative | At Kenney’s Food Store, the friendships go back decades | Owner of local soul food restaurant offers families, community members a second chance | Rey Saldaña Leaving San Antonio to Lead National Education Nonprofit | SA Embraces Mandaean Refugees | From streets to the classroom, local artist giving kids a chance through murals |