Although economic need has increased in all aspects, in recent years it has also been seen that various people have dedicated themselves to helping others without expecting anything in return.
The philanthropic work of Latinos is not far behind and at local and international levels, some of them They share that ‘in giving, there is receiving’.
Tito Rodríguez, better known as Hood Santa (Santa del Barrio), has done philanthropic work for some 11 years in his Long Beach community. Among the most recent charitable work is the help he gave to a family whose daughter of 14 years old he has leukemia.
Rodríguez said that he is not a millionaire nor does he have friends with much money but he does know some who are doing well financially and he encourages them to help those most in need.
“There are some who don’t know how to help and I tell them , ‘with $ 20 you can buy a family a turkey’ and I give $ 100 and I go and buy them, ”said Rodríguez who is part of the Local Hearts Foundation .
He indicated that when he started a toy delivery with his daughter they managed to collect some 40 toys that her daughter wrapped and delivered. Eleven years later, the annual collection will be thousands of toys and clothes for those most in need.
“I am very happy to do this because I remember when I was a child and I woke up at Christmas and there was nothing, ”Rodríguez recalled. “So if I can help a little bit I will gladly do it.”
Hood Santa has already been in charge of giving away thousands of turkeys for Thanksgiving Day and also gave out dozens of Christmas trees at the beginning of the month for the Needy families could also celebrate.
He is currently working on the delivery of toys for hundreds of children in his area.
Other Latino who helps the Latino community is Efraín Escobedo who is the Vice President of Public Policy and Civic Engagement with the California Community Foundation. He was also recently chosen to be the president of the board of directors of Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP), an organization dedicated to increasing the number of Latinos in foundations and in supporting the Latino community.
HIP’s mission is to strengthen Latino leadership, influence, and equity by leveraging philanthropic resources with an unwavering vision of social justice and shared prosperity in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
One of his most audacious visions is through the commitment of a million dollars to create “Power of Fund” (the Power of the Fund), which recognizes that the Latino community, not only You need charity or social programs but you also need to build wealth.
“So the Power of Fund is a small loan and grant program dedicated to boosting and incubating businesses emerging Latinas, small businesses across the country, ”Escobedo explained.
HIP recently held his conference where they even highlighted other non-profit organizations that do work to help the community through their financial aid. These organizations included the Los Angeles Coalition for Human Rights (CHIRLA) and Catholic Charities.
And the work with the most vulnerable communities, such as street vendors, is being carried out by the influencer Jesús Morales, better known as Juixxe and who since the beginning of the pandemic has dedicated himself to helping hundreds of street vendors.
Morales previously said in an interview with Real America News that after losing his job in the city of San Diego, he began to create videos in social networks. Then he tried to raise funds to help the homeless. But his passion increased when he managed to raise funds and began to give money to street vendors, mainly immigrants, who, impressed, saw how this unknown young man left them envelopes with $ 1, 000.
Morales said they remind him of his parents.
“My dad had multiple jobs and my mom She worked as a waitress and told me that sometimes people just left her pennies tip ”, he recalled.
Since then he has dedicated himself to giving away money that he collects himself with his thousands of followers. By sharing donation videos you not only help sellers and encourage more fans to donate, but your altruistic work brings you inexplicable joy.
“I don’t know them [a los vendedores] nor do I know what they’re going through, I wouldn’t say that I arrived at a perfect time, but I do pay them a visit with a purpose,” said the influencer.