Gloria Hernandez has lived in San Antonio, Texas for the past 30 years.

When Gloria met her future husband, she was 14 years old, and he was 16 – it was love at first sight. At 21, she married Cruz Hernandez, and they embarked on the journey of starting their family.

Growing up with a big family – Gloria with nine siblings, and Cruz with eight siblings – they envisioned the same for their family. Three years into their marriage, they were delighted to discover that Gloria was pregnant.

“When I was six months pregnant, my baby was born but did not survive. It was then I found out that I couldn’t have children,” she said.

Devastated, Gloria gave her husband the opportunity to leave their marriage knowing they both had dreamed of a big family. However, Cruz reminded her that he fell in love with her alone and that they vowed to love each other until death do they part.

“Marriage can have difficult times, but the secret to a long marriage is to respect each other, to listen – really listen, and above all to have understanding. We may both have our own opinions, but we respected each other in our differences,” she said.

Gloria and Cruz have had dogs throughout their marriage. One would call them pets, but they didn’t.

“Our dogs are our babies, they are family. We currently have 2 dogs – Ozo, a half German Shepherd mix, and Chiquita, a long-haired chihuahua. They are everything to us. They are our children, our family,” she said.

In January of 2020, what some would recognize as the silent start of the pandemic, Gloria and Cruz got sick. Gloria was able to recover from her illness, but Cruz experienced insurmountable difficulties.

“At the time, I wasn’t able to see him face-to-face, as I was still getting better. I remember the doctor explained to me that his condition was worsening hour by hour. He was afraid that my husband had little time left. When I walked into the hospital room, my husband told me he loved me. Then, he laid his head down, closed his eyes, and never woke up,” she said.

Gloria was married to Cruz for 30 years. His passing left a void that no other person would be able to fill. In her battle with grief, she would turn to her family – her pets. 

“All I have left are our babies. Ozo and Chiquita are my life. Our lives together as a family got harder after my husband passed away,” she said.

For Gloria, the sole responsibilities of maintaining a household was difficult, especially with the added stress of missing her husband. Amidst inflation, she found putting food on the table daily for her and her pets to be a daunting task. She asked herself, “Do I get food for me or for my dogs?”

It was then that she turned to the San Antonio Food Bank for help in keeping her family together.

“The San Antonio Food Bank has been there for me. Not only do I get food for myself, but they give me pet food for my fur babies. I work 50 hours a week as a waitress. My body feels worn, but I keep going. I rely on tips to make it through the week, but sometimes I need the extra help and the Food Bank has been a lifesaving component.”

The San Antonio Food Bank recognizes that pets, like food, are love. Pets offer companionship and help us through life’s challenges. Together, with support from our community, we offer pet food assistance to help keep families together.

Last year, the Food Bank served more than 60,000 pets with emergency food, allowing neighbors like Gloria to provide for ALL members of their family.