Organizational update / Actualización organizacional

*ESPAÑOL A MEDIA PAGINA*

Dear Community,

We hope this letter finds you in good spirits and health. We want to express our gratitude to you all who helped us plant the seeds and cultivate our harvest this year.

In our third year of operation, Alimentando al Pueblo raised $436,823 dollars, which supported the work of delivering 2,000+ food boxes impacting 400+ families in our community. To our team, volunteers, suppliers, donors, sponsors, and funders – we are grateful for your contributions, commitment, and energy!

We also share this letter to communicate some sad news. We do not know when we will return with our food distribution program.

Alimentando al Pueblo is a food bank that was born as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We were able to start and innovate due to the influx of federal relief dollars directed to our local governments. It was the first time we saw funds become available for cultural foods and we were fortunate enough to receive funds to bring our vision to life.

We are now entering a new phase of challenges. We are seeing that federal aid is no longer available combined with rising inflation, higher cost of gas and rent, and supply chain disruptions. As a result of all these things happening at the same time, the need to provide food security to the Latinx community we serve, has only widened while the inequities have deepened.

While we have worked hard to raise funds and apply for grants, we have not been successful in securing programmatic funds for 2023 – in part due to the limited capacity of our very small agency, in part due to there being no more federal relief dollars, and in part due to funders not prioritizing the type of work we are building. Thankfully, we have been able to secure operational funds to pay for a part-time Executive Director, our rent, and the costs necessary to keep our fundraising efforts into 2023.

As the year ends, we humbly ask for support from our Community – in spreading the word about our unique work, in making financial donations to our organization, and in helping us open new doors with sponsors and funders. At Alimentando al Pueblo, we hold dear the vision of living a joyful and dignified life, and caring for each other in the ways that our Creator and Ancestors taught us.

Help us maintain strength and union so that together we can continue keeping our organization afloat, centering the needs of the Latinx Community, and moving toward healing and justice.

It has been an honor to serve you this year. We look forward to building a more just and sustainable 2023 with you.

Con Amor y Solidaridad,

Roxana Pardo Garcia – Executive Director
Martha Molina, Susana Contreras-Mendez, Ana Gamborena – Board of Directors

 

 

Estimada comunidad,

Esperamos que esta carta lo encuentre con buen ánimo y salud. Queremos expresar nuestra gratitud a todos ustedes que nos ayudaron a plantar las semillas y cultivar nuestra cosecha este año.

En nuestro tercer año de operación, Alimentando al Pueblo recaudó $436,823 dólares, los cuales apoyaron la labor de entregar más de 2,000 cajas de alimentos impactando a más de 400 familias en nuestra comunidad. A nuestro equipo, voluntarios, proveedores, donantes, y patrocinadores: ¡estamos agradecidos por sus contribuciones, compromiso y energía!

También compartimos esta carta para comunicarles una triste noticia. No sabemos cuándo volveremos con nuestro programa de distribución de alimentos.

Alimentando al Pueblo es un banco de alimentos que nació a raíz de la pandemia del COVID-19. Pudimos comenzar e innovar gracias a la afluencia de dólares de ayuda federal dirigidos a nuestros gobiernos locales. Fue la primera vez que vimos fondos disponibles para alimentos culturales y tuvimos la suerte de recibir fondos para hacer realidad nuestra visión.

Ahora estamos entrando en una nueva fase de desafíos. Estamos viendo que la ayuda federal ya no está disponible combinada con el aumento de la inflación, el costo alto de la gasolina y el alquiler, y las interrupciones en la distribución de alimentos a nivel nacional. Como resultado de todo esto aconteciendo al mismo tiempo, la necesidad de brindar seguridad alimentaria a la comunidad Latinx a la que servimos solo se ha ampliado mientras que las desigualdades se han profundizado.

Si bien hemos trabajado arduamente para recaudar fondos y solicitar subvenciones, no hemos tenido éxito en obtener fondos programáticos para 2023 – en parte debido a la capacidad limitada de nuestra agencia pequeña, en parte debido a que no hay más dólares de ayuda federal, y en parte debido a que los financiadores no están priorizando el tipo de trabajo que estamos construyendo. Afortunadamente, hemos podido obtener fondos operativos para pagar un Director Ejecutivo de medio tiempo, nuestro alquiler, y los costos necesarios para mantener nuestros esfuerzos de recaudación de fondos en 2023.

A medida que finaliza el año, pedimos humildemente el apoyo de nuestra comunidad – para difundir nuestro trabajo único, hacer donaciones financieras a nuestra organización y ayudarnos a abrir nuevas puertas con patrocinadores y financiadores. En Alimentando al Pueblo, apreciamos la visión de vivir una vida alegre y digna, y cuidarnos unos a otros de la manera que nuestro Creador y nuestros Ancestros nos enseñaron.

Ayúdanos a mantener la fuerza y la unión para que juntos podamos seguir manteniendo nuestra organización a flote, centrando las necesidades de la comunidad Latinx, y avanzando hacia la sanación y la justicia.

Ha sido un honor servirles este año. Esperamos construir contigo un 2023 más justo y sostenible.

Con Amor y Solidaridad,

Roxana Pardo García – Directora Ejecutiva
Martha Molina, Susana Contreras-Mendez, Ana Gamborena – Mesa Directiva

Martha Molina

Safety Specialist at Boeing Co

Martha is a workplace safety professional and has been in the worker’s compensation arena for over 12 years. Graduating from the University of Washington undocumented, before DACA, she navigated through higher education advocating for herself to remain in school. She’s currently earning her Masters’ in Safety and Health Management from Central Washington University. During her spare time, she mentors Latina students, translates immigration letters for people seeking legal relief and assists in resume/cover letter preparation. She currently resides in Federal Way, WA with her husband Mario of 10 years, their daughter Dahlia and two chihuahuas, Buttercup and Dixie. Martha holds a Master’s of Safety and Health Management from Central Washington University. OSHA Safety Leadership for General Industry Certification.

 

Susana Contreras-Mendez

Senior Associate for Education Strategy Group

Susana Contreras-Mendez joined ESG in 2022 to support its Post-secondary Attainment portfolio. Prior to joining ESG, Susana was an Associate Learning and Impact Officer at Ascendium Education, where she worked in partnership with the philanthropic team to measure its performance and to support collective learning about its strategy and operations. Previously, she was a researcher at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a policy think tank in Washington, D.C. She conducted research on strategies to increase upward mobility for families, with a particular focus on the post-secondary experiences of student parents.

Other professional experiences include interning at Lumina Foundation and directly supporting low-income families through nonprofit and government programs. Outside of ESG, Susana serves on the board of Alimentando al Pueblo, a non-profit working to promote healing through comunidad, comida, and celebración (community, food, and celebration).

As a former Head Start child, first-generation college graduate, and TRiO Alum, Susana has firsthand knowledge of education’s transformational benefits. Susana holds a Master of Higher Education degree with a concentration in Diversity and Social Justice from the University of Michigan and a dual bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in Sociology and American Ethnic Studies with a minor in Education, Learning, and Society.