In response to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that has seriously affected Hispanic families residing in New York, several Mexican families and Qualitas of Life Foundation joined together to create the COVID-19 Migrant Relief Program.
Qualitas of Life Foundation, as the recipient of financial support, has distributed aid to more than 1,300 Hispanic families in the form of gift cards, cash, and food baskets (pantries) that have been delivered with the support of volunteers and six organizations oriented to provide support to this community.
Organizations that have joined this effort include:
NICE: New Immigrant Community Empowerment, supports the empowerment of the immigrant community in Queens, supports construction workers with health and safety resources.
MASS: Located in the Bronx, it offers educational support focused on children and young adults.
CREA: From eastern Harlem, it focuses on adult literacy, mostly single cleaning mothers or unemployed women.
La Colmena: promotes education among daily workers, domestic workers and generally low-income immigrants. They are located on Staten Island.
Mixteca: is an organization in Brooklyn that supports the Hispanic community in the prevention of domestic violence and the rights of women.
WJP: Labor Justice Program, its Worker Justice Program, supports construction and cleaning workers with issues related to their rights.
The PAM/COVID-19 program began on April 7, 2020. In the first round, Qualitas of Life distributed 550 gift cards for a total of $135,000. In a second round, 1,300 families have received financial support and over 400 bags of food and essentials have been delivered in New York City and Passaic, New Jersey.
Hispanic families residing in New York City have suffered the greatest economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. These communities do not have access to financial support programs offered by the United States government.
The difficulty that this community is experiencing with the loss of jobs and the number of sick and deceased is evident in the five municipalities of New York City (Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island).
