SAN ANTONIO — When it comes to fighting hunger, illness and fear, advocate Susana Segura is the tip of the spear in a hard-fought battle.
She is armed with ramen noodles, tuna and peanut butter, single serving bags of chips, sweet breads and bottled water.
Her super power is her ability to deeply listen to the unmet needs of people who are mostly forgotten.
The people who take refuge under bridges and in easements and wooded lots in west San Antonio all know her and when they see her pull up in a car heavy-laden with supplies, many of them emerge from their makeshift camps quietly and humbly.
Segura usually makes her rounds, checking on her neighbors on Sundays, but with the threat of bitter cold barreling into town, she has been out every day, warning the die-hards that hard, freezing days are coming by late Thursday.
Backed up by a network of mostly anonymous angels, Segura has been distributing carloads of blankets, coats and socks. Handing out new socks to the shivering, she tells them socks with small holes cut in the right place can be make-shift gloves. She scours her supplies, asking each person what they need the most.
In a cold parking lot Wednesday, she sized up a man already wearing several layers of clothing. "Do you need another layer, a t-shirt?" she asks before handing the man a freshly laundered, brightly colored shirt and then tells him he needs to add another layer of pants as well.
"This should fit you and you could put them under or over, either one," Segura said, adding pants to the food and water she has already provided.
When the man expressed sincere thanks, Segura gave him a small blanket as well, telling him it would be the perfect size to wrap his head and preserve a little more warmth.
Segura said anyone can be a mutual aid provider.
"You can focus on the neighborhood immediately surrounding you. I can almost guarantee if you drive slow enough, that you will see little bundles of cardboard where people camp or where people hide their things," Segura said, adding "The closer you can get to your home and to affect your neighbors and help them, the better it is for everybody."
Listing the things that provide the most comfort during the bitter cold, Segura said: hand warmers, tarps and socks.
In the damp, Segura said anything that can be used to keep the weather off a person is helpful.
"People cover up with cardboard and they know how to cope but these temperatures are not typical," Segura said.
Segura said sometimes offering to make a phone call is all someone needs to find relief.
"Sometimes they don't have a phone, but they do have somebody that they could call, so you could offer to make that phone call for them," Segura said.
Segura said it is difficult for people with few resources to find accessible help.
"There are a lot of people in the community who are isolated from the larger agencies or who may not know that they are there, so they are not able to travel to those locations," Segura said.
In addition to providing aid, Segura is a powerful writer, sharing compelling stories about her adventures on her website.