GIVING THE GIFT OF FOOD
Hispanic Resource Council distributes personal protection equipment and information
CHICO » When COVID-19 began changing lives in January, the Hispanic Resource Council of Northern California created a group of individuals from different organizations to head a COVID-19 task force.
In a traditional year the organization helps the Hispanic, Latin and Spanish speaking communities to educate and inform on resources available. However this year they saw a need for something different. It began with personal protection equipment, and the need for food quickly grew.
The Hispanic Resource Council of Northern California events chair Reyna Nolta gathered a group of volunteers and organized separate giveaway events in Gridley, Orland, Oroville and Chico focusing on personal protective equipment such as masks, hand sanitizer and packets of information. Information was in both English and Spanish and had COVID-19 information and how to get help if needed.
Saturday was the final event in Chico, concluding with nearly 300 guests showing up to the corner of Esplanade and Eaton Road at the RUSH Personnel Parking lot in Chico for more personal protection equipment and food.
For the first hour, chickens, corn, masa, rice, and beans amongst others were being distributed. By dark, nearly two hours later, small bags of potatoes and gift cards to Save Mart were being distributed. Still, Nolta said no one left without information on how to get help at least.
Nolta has gained the support and help of organizations around Butte County such as Butte County Public Health, Far Northern Regional Center, Northern Valley Catholic Social Service, Enloe Health, RUSH Personnel and others.
Together they started with masks and hand sanitizer at the first event in Gridley, and later evolved into giving away food at other events. However Nolta and others in the organization have admittedly learned more each time.
Though no one was turned away, the organization did more promoting prior to the final event, speaking with Spanishspeaking TV and radio to aim at the Hispanic and Latin communities.
“We wanted to make sure that the Hispanic and Latin community knew of place that they would be welcome. That they would come out,” Nolta said. “They’re very proud families. They don’t look for handouts. They make tamales, they make Pozole.”
Together they realized each time food was supplied more people came out. Promotores Outreach, an organization which has helped organize previous food drives in Butte County, helped guide the Hispanic Resource Resource Council staff and others on Saturday.
“I’ve learned that there’s a disparity,” she said. “I learned that there isn’t a platform in that community to address the needs for that specific population. I learned that these families are not getting enough information about how serious COVID was.”
Nolta was quick to note she doesn’t blame other organizations, and that this is where hers can help.
She said Saturday, for the first time ever, about 90 percent of people served were from their guided audience.
After the success of Saturday’s event, Nolta and other leaders from the council are considering an annual giveaway around the holidays.
“We wanted to make sure that the Hispanic and Latin community knew of place that they would be welcome. That they would come out. They’re very proud families. They don’t look for handouts. They make tamales, they make Pozole.”
— Reyna Nolta
“We had a lot of families, a lot of children,” Nolta said Sunday after Saturday’s event. “The need was the food but we were hoping that by us helping with food, for some of those families they would be able to use some of their food money for maybe a few gifts for their children.”