AUGUST 23 (SAN DIEGO) – Nearly 1,000 individuals, immigrants, and their families, from across San Diego County received care packages of household necessities and non-perishable food items, backpacks of school supplies and health screenings from the Felix Y. Manalo (FYM) Foundation, the charitable arm of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC or Church Of Christ) during the Aug. 20 Aid to Humanity event.
Seven local organizations received donations to support their work within the communities of the U.S.-Mexico border area of the county, as many local migrant families become concerned that their access to public assistance programs may soon negatively impact their legal status in the U.S. Many organizations are attempting to step up and step into positions to help the community at large.
“Thank you for everything you do, Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church Of Christ. But, most importantly, thank you for bringing faith and power to our community,” said Max Ellorin, Deputy Chief of Staff to Councilmember Monica Montgomery of District 4, City of San Diego.
The FYM Foundation recognized the Montgomery-Waller Community Park, Hearts and Hands Working Together, Blue Heart Foundation, Inc., San Diego Delta Foundation, Inc., Willow Elementary School, Neighborhood House Association, and San Ysidro Middle School gifting each with a $5,000 donation to support the positive social impact of their work.
“This [donation] is going to go to our STEM Lab Competition. This is going to go to laptops, this is going to go to transportation to help [kids] get to school. This is going to be a big deal. This will pay for three tutors until the end of the year to be able to serve 30 kids,” said Tracy Morris, Founder of the Blue Heart Foundation, an organization serving youth ages 13-19 in the greater San Diego community.
The San Diego event is the 7th stop of the FYM Foundation’s Aid to Humanity U.S. outreach series this August. After starting in Brownsville, N.Y. Aug. 11, Aid to Humanity reached the communities of Marlow Heights, Md., Seattle, Wash., San Carlos Indian Reservation, Ariz., and will continue in Los Angeles, Calif. and Rockford, Illinois.
Earlier this year, Aid to Humanity events helped 36 local organizations in Canada, serving thousands in need along the way, as part of its global aim to provide an opportunity for those most in need and contribute to supporting peaceful and productive communities. Other projects include eco-farming in Africa and the distribution of basic supplies to residents of favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Volunteers of the foundation also offer relief aid in the aftermath of natural calamities, such as hurricanes and earthquakes in the Philippines and other disaster-stricken areas.
For more about the Church and its activities, please visit www.iglesianicristo.net.
Photos Courtesy of Iglesia Ni Cristo Public Information Office
Representatives from the San Diego Delta Foundation accept a $5,000 donation from the FYM Foundation.
