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Residents urge Georgetown to protect food distribution and coordinate with nonprofits ahead of sitting/lying ordinance
Summary
Three residents urged the City of Georgetown to preserve public food distribution and coordinate with nonprofits and churches after council discussed an ordinance addressing sitting and parking; speakers described Helping Hands' operations and asked the city to help identify private sites.
Three residents told the City of Georgetown City Council they are working with local nonprofits to address hunger and homelessness and urged the city to avoid harming public food distributions as it considers an ordinance addressing sitting, lying and parking.
Anne Bustos, a longtime Georgetown resident, said Helping Hands has distributed food four days a week outside the library between about 3:00 and 4:00 p.m., providing pantry bags for schoolchildren and others experiencing food insecurity. "The issue of the homeless and hunger in Georgetown should not be discussed along with panhandling," Bustos said, urging council to work alongside Helping Hands rather than dismantle it.
Michelle Augustine, speaking on behalf of Navigation Services and the Coalition for the UnHoused, said the organizations are educating clients about an upcoming ordinance regarding sitting and lying and are preparing to coach clients about where they can find food and services. Augustine asked the city to help identify private properties that could host food distributions and urged council members to ask local churches if they would host distribution days or provide financial support to nonprofits such as The Caring Place and Helping Hands of Georgetown.
Dwight Richter, who said he lives on South Main Street, described the coalition's efforts as sincere and asked the council for additional time to let the nonprofit coalition become established before strict enforcement of parking or public-space rules. "Give us a little time so we could really get ourselves established a little bit better," Richter said, adding a personal note about family vulnerability to illustrate the stakes.
Speakers emphasized that local businesses and community groups already donate food — named contributors included Costco, HEB, Randalls, Sheraton Hotel, Schlotzsky's, Panera Bread and Bimbo Bakeries — and described school and sports-driven food drives as active local resources. Commenters asked the city to coordinate with existing nonprofits rather than push food distribution entirely onto private property, and to consider church sites as alternatives. The council did not take formal action on these public comments during the meeting.
