Neighborhood Champion Calls Attention to Families in Need

In early February, Regional Director of the Promotores del Valle de San Luis, Zoila Gomez, was contacted by a neighborhood champion in Alamosa County who had heard about nearby agricultural families that needed some supplies. According to Norma, the neighborhood champion, these families lived in agricultural housing and some of their kids had recently been sent home after testing positive for COVID-19. These students were children to parents who are employed in local agricultural industry and live in agricultural housing (Tierra Nueva). Zoila and her team of promotores store surplus materials, COVIDS resources, and food in the front office of the housing complex and trust Norma to have access to the storage to get access to what she needs for the community. With this long-established community trust, the promotoras were able to provide food, medicine, and hygiene kits to 24 people within a day of them testing positive for COVID.

Zoila says “Norm tells me, she and the families feel cared for because we trust them and leave resources available for them to use right there. Also having access to the office there has been huge help. They let us use the kitchen to leave kits and emergency bags.”