HOLA volunteers, from left to right: Awanda Canelo, Frank Pabon, Shawn Lee, and Kelley Gonzalez. Photo credit: Angel Marquez
Members of HOLA, the Heritage of LatinX Alliance Employee Resource Group at Mount Sinai Health System, recently partnered with The Father’s Heart Ministries by volunteering at the organization’s soup kitchen and food pantry.
“It was very sad at first seeing the long line of people in the rain two hours before the pantry opened,” said Frank Pabon, Director of Operations/CBO at The Mount Sinai Hospital, who, along with Paul Sanabria, Project Manager, Quality Operations, and Awanda Canelo, a billing coordinator, helped to organize the volunteers. “However, it was so rewarding assisting with the food distribution and knowing that we helped families put food on the table.”
He added, “We were glad that we could help serve so many people. This experience made us especially thankful during the holiday season.”
The Father Heart Ministries offers a variety of programs, such as the soup kitchen and food pantry, tutoring, and job training programs. On the day the HOLA members volunteered, December 9, the food pantry served about 900 people.