Twin Cities cook shares who helps put food on his table

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Do you eat to live or live to eat? Daniel Garcia has an obvious answer. 

“I was born to be a cook,” Garcia, a St. Paul resident, said. “I’ll put it that way.”

Sixty years ago, his grandmother gave him his first recipes, and the love of food gave him a career. He worked at various Twin Cities hotels and restaurants for more than 15 years.

Garcia, now 70 years old, lives with a disability and relies on financial help from the Social Security Administration. He comes to the Salvation Army twice a week to get food, including fresh fruit. Apples are the cook’s favorite because they can be versatile. 

“I’m grateful for what they give me here,” Garcia said. “It helps put food on your table.”

Across all their locations in Minnesota, the Salvation Army gave roughly 3 million meals last year, according to spokesperson Dan Furry. The nonprofit expects that visits to food shelves are increasing.

A new report by Hunger Solutions shows that last year Minnesotans made nearly 9 million visits to food shelves. That is 1.4 million more visits than the year before, marking the fourth consecutive record year for food shelf visits in Minnesota.

“My mom says when you eat, you have less problems to complain about,” Garcia said.

He shares what he cannot eat with others, knowing some people don’t always live to eat. They must eat to live.

KARE 11 is partnering with The Salvation Army and Cub Foods for another year of our annual Food Fight, raising money and collecting food to help families facing food insecurity in our area.

Learn how you can take part in the KARE 11 Food Fight here.