BIO Isabel Pazmiño VICE PRESIDENT, BANCO DE ALIMENTOS – DIAKONÍA

Isabel Pazmiño assumed the vice presidency of the Diakonía food bank board in 2021. Previously, she was a member of the board for many years and a volunteer at the Foodbank since 2011. She is a commercial engineer from Universidad Católica Santiago de Guayaquil, where she was part of the AIESEC in Ecuador (NGO) in different leadership roles in local and national levels. She has completed the Business Owner Program from IDE Business School and did a diploma in social training by Unión Social de Empresarios de Mexico. Pazmiño has 16 years of management experience in a family shrimp farm company and 10 years in an import and distribution company of auto parts.

What is the work of Banco de Alimentos in Guayaquil? What are some of your achievements in its scope of work?

We are an initiative under the Archdiocese of Guayaquil, now represented by Monseñor Luis Gerardo Cabrera. Diakonía food bank started operating in Guayaquil in 2011. We work by collecting this food through individuals and institutions to reach out to those most in need. During the last 11 years, we delivered 10150 tons of food to more than 50,000 people. We have also faced two major crises. The first one was the earthquake that hit Ecuador in 2016; back then, we delivered 650 tons of food to affected areas. The second crisis came with the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, we have distributed over 4,609 tons of donated food to eight provinces, benefiting 2.14 million people. In the first five years, we distributed 220 tons of food. Then, the earthquake came, and it was the catalyst for us to expand our labor. We did triple the work we had done in previous years in only a few months. We not only distributed food but also organized all sorts of donations and realized the importance of the logistical handling of food banks in these times of catastrophe.

How would you describe Diakonía’s programs?

The initial Diakonía volunteers started raising money in flea markets; however, after the earthquake, we created more specific programs. Our breakfast program called Barrigas Contentas Corazones Llenos (Full Belly, Happy Heart) supplies breakfasts for a group of underprivileged children sponsored by Kelloggs and Bimbo. Fruver is another program that we launched a few years ago; it aims to rescue fruit and vegetables from the largest market in Guayaquil. We also have alliances with businesses that sell clothes, shoes, and homeware products. We collect these products and distribute them to those in need. Another of our most meaningful programs is Vita Sanus, a medicine bank created in alliance with Difare group. It works by delivering usually expensive medication (at no cost) to underprivileged populations. We currently have 159 beneficiary institutions. Some include soup kitchens and organizations that support children's spiritual and academic formation by teaching them and helping with homework.