Ford Fund, Latino College Students Help Kick-Off Hunger Relief Program; Host Virtual Leadership Panel
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 20, 2020
New York -- Today, employees of Ford Motor Company Fund and Latino college students participating in CREAR Futuros, a college readiness, achievement, and retention program developed by Hispanic Federation, participated in a virtual panel discussion on Latino leadership and helped launch the 10th Annual Lucha Contra El Hambre Hunger Relief Campaign.
Traditionally, Ford representatives and CREAR Futuros students meet in person to discuss career trajectories, experiences and opportunities, a conversation which culminates in a service project to prepare thousands of meal kits that Hispanic Federation distributes to families across the Tri-State area over the holiday season. This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions participants met virtually, but maintained the same spirit of giving.
Recognizing the need within households of many CREAR Futuros students, Ford Fund provided grocery gift cards to support 200 of these families. Students and Ford employees also volunteered for a hunger relief phone bank on November 18th sponsored by Telemundo 47 and Hispanic Federation. Volunteers staffed Hispanic Federation’s bilingual help line and received over 1,000 calls regarding food assistance in their communities.
"Food insecurity remains a serious issue for far too many families, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. At Ford, we are proud to continue our support of the Hispanic Federation’s efforts of CREAR Futuros and Lucha Contra El Hambre to feed and strengthen our communities,” said Joe Ávila, Manager, U.S. & Latin America, Ford Motor Company Fund.
The Lucha Contral El Hambre campaign began in New York in 2011 and has grown into a national program providing more than 1.5 million meals to Latinos living in some of the most underserved communities.
Lucha Contra El Hambre’s success is due in large part to the Transit Connect van donated by Ford to the Hispanic Federation. The vehicle provides Hispanic Federation with mobility access across the New York region and will be used extensively over eight weeks during the holiday season to both pick up and drop off food donations. While the traditional kick-off was not able to take place, Hispanic Federation in partnership with our member agencies, will still distribute over 45,000 pounds of food during this period.
“The impact of COVID-19 forced Hispanic Federation to quickly find new ways to deliver our vital programs, and it is with consistent support from organizations like Ford Motor Company Fund that we have been able to continue bringing critical services like hunger relief to the community,” said Frankie Miranda, President of Hispanic Federation. “This pandemic has hit Latino communities in the Tri-State area the hardest, and so now, more than ever, we need volunteers and funders to continue to stand up for our communities”
Thanks to the Lucha Contra El Hambre Hunger Relief Campaign, the following Hispanic Federation partner agencies in New York will receive food:
1. Adelante of Suffolk County
2. Circulo de la Hispanidad
3. Coalition for Hispanic Family Services
4. Community Resource Center
5. Comunilife
6. Davidson Community Center
7. Hispanic Brotherhood of Rockville Centre
8. Masa
9. Mixteca Organization
10. Puerto Rican Family Institute
11. Southside United Housing Development Funding Corp. (Los Sures)
12. Spanish Speaking Elderly Council (RAICES)
13. The HopeLine
14. Translatinx Network
15. Violence Intervention Program
16. Vision Urbana
17. We Stay / Nos Quedamos Community Development Corporation
Those interested in becoming a collection site to help bring relief to those who need it most, please contact 1(844) HF AYUDA / 1 (844) 432-9832.
Contact:
Matthew Rojas, Hispanic Federation
mrojas@hispanicfederation.org
Carmen Marsans, Ford Motor Company Fund
301-661-6066
cm@communicad.com
