San Antonio charity hopes to expand mental health services for food, service industry workers to other states

Saint Anthony – Awarded to a local non-profit organization to provide access to affordable mental health services and support groups for people in the food and beverage industry.

“A lot of people who work in the food and beverage industry don’t have health insurance,” says Joel Rivas, founder of the Saint City Culinary Foundation.

Rivas has made it his mission to connect people in the industry with therapists and independent support groups.

In the year He is the founder of the Holy City Food Foundation, which started in 2017 and provides a variety of services through their wellness program called “Tesma”.

“We have Medical Access and we’re working with a medical group called Capital Area Counsel in Austin, Texas, and we’ve partnered with them to give people who work in the food and beverage industry access to affordable and practical resources,” Rivas said.

Rivas said they offer an affordable telehealth program and a variety of educational health classes.

During the outbreak, the charity hosted a Covid-19 pop-up vaccination clinic for service industry workers.

Rivas said more than 400 people are using these services not only in San Antonio, but across Texas, and plans to expand to other states.

“The next place we’re looking to expand is New Orleans. We’re partnering with another nonprofit there to focus on mental health access for people of color,” Rivas said.

Rivas recently received recognition from Top Food and Entertainment magazine for its mental health wellness program.

He wants people in the service industry to know they are not alone.

“We want people to have balance in their lives and that’s different for everyone, but addressing mental health concerns is a big step in that direction,” Rivas said.