HOUSTON – A local nonprofit is stepping in to help families in an underserved community with groceries, voter registration, and tenant rights.
“The biggest thing to get people in these doors is a sense of community because it takes a lot of trust and a lot of vulnerability to say, ‘I need help,’” Aleja Newman said.
The Korean Community Center in Spring Branch hosted a Pop-Up Grocery and Resource Distribution.
The event was supposed to help around 120 people, but more than 200 people showed up after we posted the event on our website.
KPRC 2 reporter Re’Chelle Turner was the only reporter at the event and spoke with families who say this is something that’s needed.
One family said this event will keep food on the table until their next paycheck.
It’s no secret that grocery prices are high. You buy a few items, and it can quickly add up to about a hundred dollars—for a family of four or five, it can get expensive. On Thursday, Turner heard different experiences through a translator.
Aleja Newman wears many hats, but helping others and listening to their stories is her passion.
“I actually met a woman today who has a son, and she told me, I was so shocked. She told me that she has a son that has cancer and is amputated with one leg, and her daughter was born this way, that she can’t walk. But I asked her, can they type? Can they speak? And she was like, yes. I was like, we can find something for them to do,” Newman said.
Woori Juntos is doing just that, helping people from the Asian American and immigrant communities by getting people registered to vote and helping them learn about vaccines.
Thursday was all about stocking up on food. They teamed up with another nonprofit, Second Servings to help families like Leo and his daughter Aundrea.
“I’m not working right now, and that’s why we are here,” he said.
Floria Castillo showed up with her two-year-old son. She’s 35 weeks pregnant, and her husband is the only one who works. She says groceries are too expensive.
“We have a tight budget. I don’t have a car. I’m so grateful for events like this because they help me and my family,” Castillo said.
Organizers are working to host another Pop-Up Grocery & Resource Distribution.