Nonprofit looks to do more to help families

JACKSONVILLE — Through his work at Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida, Wilfred Torres sees on a daily basis that many low-income families have critical, unmet needs.

He knows the signs from personal experience.

Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Florida, he grew up in a low-income family led by a “hard-working single mom,” he said, and “witnessed the reality of needing assistance under difficult circumstances such as language barriers, financial deprivation and lack of community awareness.”

So Torres, 32, decided to do more to help families living in poverty, to go above and beyond his work. He formed his own nonprofit, called WegotchuEnterprises, which provides back-to-school supplies and Christmas gifts for children and financial assistance and education for adults.

“We help children who are living in poverty have the proper essentials for better learning,” he said. “We help individuals overcome the financial stress that comes with being a single parent.”

The nonprofit also gives families passes to the zoo, museums and other familyoriented attractions.

“We are big on providing resources from the surrounding communities to help them support their children's education,” he said.

Founded in 2015, Wegotchu served 150 families the following year, 350 in 2017, 500 in 2018 and 1,000 last year. Needs increased this year because of the coronavirus pandemic and resulting family struggles, but Torres said it has given the nonprofit “a sense of resiliency through these tough times.

“Although with more needs to meet and more families to serve, our resources, partnerships and collaborations have prompted the call for help,” Torres said. The resulting support from Lutheran Social Services and the city of Jacksonville's Community Relief programs “helped us to not only survive the pandemic, but most importantly help us to help the families who have been crucially impacted,” he said.

Meanwhile, Torres also helps low-income people through his work at Lutheran Social Services, which offers financial management support for lowincome people; runs a “client-choice” food pantry; helps refugees settle in the area; and provides case management, mental health services and education for people living with HIV and AIDS.

The agency is a partner in Steps 2 Success, which provides career and financial coaching and is based at Edward Waters College in the New Town community. The “financial opportunity center” was funded by LISC Jacksonville, the local affiliate of a national community development organization, and is also supported by Family Foundations,

United Way of Northeast Florida, the New Town Success Zone and the college. Torres is an employment specialist and income support manager at Steps 2 Success.

He uses his job and his nonprofit as tools in his mission.

“It is my passion and dedication to help others who are in need, which goes with my most important social responsibility of trying to make the world a better place,” he said.

Torres wants to build on what Wegotchu has accomplished, expanding services to cover different needs and different communities of Jacksonville. Among his plans is a “virtual high school academy” that he hopes to open in the upcoming school year.

But his overall goal remains the same.

“Our focus is to provide resources where resources are not available to promote self-sufficiency and empower positive ideas for the good of the community,” he said.