Supporting the Community

Guest Post by Dr. Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, Executive Director and Founder of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS), a Latino Cultural Arts and Social Services Program in Half Moon Bay dedicated to​ supporting the youth and families of the coastal community in Northern California.

These past few months at ALAS, COVID has shifted us to a crisis model that infuses basic needs and economic support as the foundation of our work to keep families going. We have continued to be working on the front lines and out in the field to support our essential workers and farmworkers by providing PPE, weekly food box deliveries, thank you lunches for Farmworkers Fridays and our pop-up food pantry.

Our free mental health counseling has also been important as it has allowed us to be there for the emotional challenges so many are enduring. In addition, we have been busy with full Zoom arts workshops, painting Frida, Coco, Piñatas and more. This past Dia de los Muertos we made a community altar to collectively grieve and heal together from a distance.

One of the most moving events was a special donation of space for an ALAS Community Center to increase programming and services.

Thanks to PVF we now have a refrigerator and freezer donated which will help us provide emergency food for the community. ALAS with PVF is working hard to make sure that our community is not alone. Thank you PVF for being there for our community!