Relieving literal and figurative hunger
U-T profiles of notable local people
Isabella Cubillas’ family has continuously instilled in her the importance of generosity and a helpful attitude. Her parents taught her to be grateful and kind, and her cousin/godmother is someone she’s always looked up to, who sees a need in the world and looks to fill that need. That’s what happened with Tijuana Sin Hambre/Tijuana Without Hunger, a nonprofit Cubillas’ cousin established last April to address the poverty and hunger in Tijuana in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are a group of 300 tireless and passionate volunteers who are working together to improve the quality of life for many Tijuana families living in extreme poverty and hunger,” Cubillas says of her cousin, Maru Rique’s, organization. “I was with her through the process of all of this, so she asked me to help coordinate any volunteers from San Diego who wanted to go to Tijuana to lend a helping hand.”
That coordination of volunteers from San Diego, manifested in Cubillas starting the Tijuana Sin Hambre Club at her school, the Academy of Our Lady of Peace (OLP). She serves as president of the club, which has 60 members from OLP who are equally committed to making a difference in the world around them. She educates the other club members about the circumstances that families in Tijuana are facing, including kids their own age, and encourages them to spread awareness and to actively participate in alleviating the suffering of others through their work in the club. The TSH club at the school and the organization across the border consist entirely of volunteers; they do not employ paid staff, and 100 percent of donations and any profits “are given directly to the cause,” she says.
Cubillas, 17, lives in San Diego with her parents, Isabel and Albert, and her brother, Alberto. She took some time to talk about her work with TSH and her passion and commitment to this kind of activism, spreading happiness to others, and her favorite way to spend her summers (hint: there’s a Ferris wheel involved).
Q:
Since Tijuana Sin Hambre began, how many people/ families have you been able to provide assistance to? And what has that assistance looked like?
A:
In less than a year — and with the help of family, friends, the OLP club, and so many others — we have supported 21,809 people. We have shared tears, laughter, and joy with so many people, that we realized that we need to not only bring food to them but also do anything and everything in our power to make them feel better. We know now that “hambre” (or “hunger”), is not only the feeling that we get in our stomachs, but it is also the need for peace, stability, justice and so much more. Every day, we are working vigorously so that a little boy or girl, a mother, or a hardworking father, doesn’t have to spend the night hungry or searching for something.
Q:
Have you always been someone interested in helping others? Where did your desire to help others come from?
A:
Something I’m really thankful for is that my parents put me in Catholic education starting in kindergarten, so I have learned that anything is possible with love and strong faith. With this, came new opportunities, like joining a club when I was in fourth grade, that took me to food kitchens in San Diego to serve people in need. I’ve always been around families and found that I enjoy being with children, so I also volunteered my time to read with kids and share the joy of books and literature with them. The COVID-19 pandemic put all of this on hold, but it brought me a new perspective and a new way to be active.
Q:
Can you walk us through how your organization works? What happens when someone needs help from TSH?
A:
With the use of technology and our voices, we have spread the news about our work in order to collect donations. Our supporters are people from all over the world who have heard about us and became determined to help.
With this support, we buy food and we supplement it with other donations from local markets. TSH receives an average of 55 calls a day seeking help. Once we know their information, we send a social worker to visit the family in need, so that they can see the conditions that they live in. With this information, we prepare a personalized care package, so that the family has everything they might need for a few weeks.
Q:
What kind of reaction have you received from the community you’re providing assistance to?
A:
As a Mexican American teenage girl coming from a stable background, I have never been in a state where I needed food and had nowhere to get it from. While going to different neighborhoods to try to help, I have seen things that have changed my life. The communities that we have provided help to are so incredibly grateful for everything that we have given to them. Whether it be food, clothes, or toys, I will never forget the smiles on people’s faces when they receive these important items. Q:
Your website says that you wanted to close the gaps that the COVID-19 pandemic has created, namely hunger and unemployment in Tijuana. As we begin to see and hear about a possible downswing in the pandemic — a result of an increase in vaccinated people — what are your plans for TSH when life becomes somewhat normal again?
A:
A possible downswing in the pandemic is news that the whole world is happy to hear, but although COVID was what pushed us to create an organization like this, it is not the end of hunger. When life becomes somewhat normal again, we will continue to work hard. Our goal is to be able to feed not only the stomachs of the people but also their hearts.
We want to educate the communities that don’t have the necessary resources, and we want to work with children and eradicate the extreme poverty in Tijuana. My favorite quote from our founder is, “When we say ‘hunger’ we do not only mean lack of food, because there is a hunger for love and a better life, and that is why we are going to strive to give our people what they need, in order to rebuild
Tijuana and return stronger than ever.”
Q:
Your website also says that you “dream of creating a bridge between kindness and necessity.” What does this mean, exactly? And what would that bridge ideally look like, in practice?
A:
TSH has been the bridge between good-hearted people and families in extreme poverty. The bridge has been built by our amazing volunteers, but there is always a need to do more. We need to continue engaging goodhearted people who have the desire to help us with this cause, in order to build a stronger, bigger bridge to more people. So, we welcome all who are interested and want to join us.
Q:
What has your work with TSH taught you about yourself?
A:
I have learned how creative I can get, even when time and resources are limited. I’ve also surprised myself with how I am able to open up to others about what volunteering is all about; that we don’t just do this for service hours or because we have been told to do it, but because one person who is willing to give up their time, is making a difference. I have found that I am not afraid to be vulnerable because by showing this side of myself, I’m able to reach others who can make a difference, too.
Q:
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
A:
To be well prepared, to be educated, to work hard, and to continue to work with God in order to reach my goals.
Being a high school student, I feel like I have already done more than I ever imagined I could be doing at this age. In the future, with even more years of education under my belt, I see myself being more of an activist. I’m excited for the future and inspired to continue educating myself because it will empower me to do so much more.
Q:
Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.
A:
My ideal weekend in San Diego would have to take place in the summertime. I would wake up early and drive up to one of my favorite events: the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar. The fair is a perfect representation of the joy in our beloved sunny San Diego. I would be surrounded by friends and family members who make me laugh and smile until my stomach hurts and my face grows numb. We would watch the sunset on the Ferris wheel and end the day by leaving with a stuffed animal in one hand, and a corn dog in the other. Then, we’d sleep happily knowing that the next day we’d do it all over again!
A significant late-season winter storm is expected to blanket parts of Colorado with up to 4 feet of snow over the weekend, creating hazardous travel conditions and prompting Gov. Jared Polis to activate the Colorado National Guard.
About 50 members of the Guard will be available for search and rescue, Polis said in a news conference as he encouraged residents to prepare by getting water and gas.
“I urge you to stay home if it’s going to snow hard in your area,” he said on Twitter.
Polis said some clinics had canceled COVID-19 vaccinations this weekend, and he asked residents to check directly with their provider.
In the Denver area, where a winter storm warning goes into effect early this morning through early Monday, up to 2 feet of snow is predicted, with wind gusts as high as 35 mph, according to the National
Weather Service. Areas near Boulder and Fort Collins could see up to 30 inches of snow.
The storm is expected to hit hardest just west of Denver, including the Front Range mountains and foothills, where forecasters predict up to 4 feet of snow.
Travel will become difficult as gusty winds combine with heavy snowfall that could produce near blizzard conditions, the weather service said. The snow is expected to be both heavy and wet, increasing the chance of power outages and tree damage.
“If you can stay safe in your home or in another location, especially during the peak of this storm, please do so,” Shoshana Lew, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, said in a news conference. “It gives our crews greater ability to do their jobs, keep essential travel possible for as long as possible and return our state roadways to normal as safely and as quickly as possible.”
Parts of Nebraska and Wyoming will also see considerable amounts of snow and ice, according to the weather service. Southeast Wyoming will be under a winter storm warning over the weekend. Snow accumulations in the area could reach 34 inches, with wind gusts up to 50 mph.
Facing a deluge of calls to resign from New York’s U.S. senators and the majority of its House Democrats, Gov. Andrew Cuomo made clear Friday that he had no intention of quitting, deriding the mounting pressure from his own party as “cancel culture” and insisting he would not bow to it.
The calls first came in a coordinated barrage of statements released in the morning from more than a dozen House members — most of the state’s Democratic delegation — including Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The sentiment was clear: Cuomo had lost the capacity to govern and must leave office.
By the end of the day, Sen. Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand had also called on Cuomo to step down.
“Due to the multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Gov. Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York,” the senators said in a joint statement late Friday afternoon. “Gov. Cuomo should resign.”
It was a remarkable moment for Cuomo, a third-term Democrat who won national acclaim last year during the early months of the pandemic but is now confronting multiple investigations and the threat of impeachment over a string of sexual harassment allegations and his attempt to
obscure the virus-related death toll in nursing homes. By day’s end, he was almost entirely isolated.
The governor responded with defiance. In a hastily arranged news conference after the House members issued their calls, Cuomo quickly rejected the demands for him to step down and denied harassing or abusing anyone. He lashed out at the lawmakers for jumping to conclusions, calling them “reckless and dangerous.”
“I did not do what has
been alleged, period,” Cuomo said.
Several women, some of them current or former state employees, have accused the governor of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior, including an unidentified aide who this week said Cuomo groped her in the Executive Mansion. Last month, Lindsey Boylan, a former administration official, said the governor gave her an unsolicited kiss on the lips, and Charlotte Bennett, a former aide who is 25, said the governor
had asked her invasive questions, such as whether she had sex with older men.
As members of his own party and former allies turned against him, Cuomo — a 40year veteran of New York politics and the son of a former governor — also sought to make his isolation into a virtue, suggesting that he was being punished because he was “not part of the political club.”
“And you know what?” he said. “I’m proud of it.”
The day began with a rapid
succession of statements from the members of Congress, issued through emailed news releases or Twitter, with many of them citing the most recent allegations of sexual misconduct against the governor to justify their demand for his resignation.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a longtime member of Congress who chairs the powerful House Oversight Committee, said she admired the women who have spoken about claims of harassment by the governor, linking their disclosures to the #MeToo movement.
“We have come a long way, but now is the time to finally ensure that this generation’s courage stops harassment once and for all,” Maloney said in a statement.
Also calling for Cuomo to step down Friday were Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Yvette Clarke, Antonio Delgado, Adriano Espaillat, Brian Higgins, Mondaire Jones, Sean Patrick Maloney, Grace Meng, Joe Morelle, Paul Tonko, Ritchie Torres and Nydia Velázquez. Another House Democrat, Kathleen Rice of Long Island, had already asked Cuomo to resign.
Hours after Cuomo’s impromptu news conference Friday, Schumer and Gillibrand issued their joint statement in a news release.
All told, 16 of the state’s 19 House Democrats have demanded Cuomo’s resignation, as well as its two Democratic senators. Most of New York’s eight Republican representatives had already said the governor should step down.
The calls for resignation came one day after the New York Assembly announced a plan to launch an investigation that could pave the way for the impeachment of Cuomo.
As of Friday, there was still not enough support for impeachment — last seen in New York in 1913 — among ruling Democrats in the Assembly.
On Friday, Cuomo pleaded for patience and asked New Yorkers to “wait for the facts” — from the two pending investigations of his behavior — before passing judgment.