Mission Foods partnered with the Mexican Consulate in San Diego to provide more than 17,000 servings of corn tortillas to support Catholic Charities’ work to feed hungry people in San Diego and Imperial counties on Nov. 10.
In early March, Catholic Charities launched its Emergency Food Distribution Network Plus to help address hunger needs across the region with drive-thru pantries and COVID-safe home deliveries to the most vulnerable families.
Ambassador Carlos González Gutiérrez, consul general of Mexico in San Diego, said he is thankful for all the partners in this effort for making this collaboration happen.
Bishop McElroy from San Diego’s Roman Catholic dioceses said when the pandemic became visible in the country, Catholic Charities was in the midst of finishing up the celebration of its centenary up and down the coast of California. He said Catholic Charities were all founded at the same time as a response to the 1918/19 Spanish flu epidemic. He said it was the most devastating pandemic the world had seen at that time, killing more than a half a million people in the United States.
“In that pandemic, the predominate victims were young adults, leaving many children orphans. Catholic Charities began to help children and has now blossomed into the outgrowth of Catholic Charities which has so many different levels of services to people in need,” he said.
McElroy said when its board met at the beginning of the pandemic, it could have not imagined the threat of COVID would become the enormously devastating threat that it is now.
“We understand in this pandemic, those who are poor, those who are isolated in all different walks of life, are suffering the most,” he said.
Cesar Lopez, division sales manager of Mission Foods, said it is proud to support the incredible work that Catholic Charities and the Mexican Consulate are doing in helping people in need in the region and around the world.
“Our company understands that people are working as hard as they can to keep putting food on the table for their children,” said Lopez. “We want them to know that they are not alone, and we will keep working to make a difference in a way that matters.”
Lopez said the company is committed to helping people across the country with the many different charities it has partnered with over the past months.
“We donated 17,000 servings of corn tortillas here locally on Tuesday,” said Lopez. “The tortillas donated are going to be distributed to vulnerable families throughout our communities. This effort is to reduce growing food inequities in our communities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Mission Foods has donated more than 170,000 pounds of food to Catholic Charities in 13 different states, and more than 21,000 cases of food to American food banks during the pandemic. Mission foods has worked on feeding front line workers, famers, abuse centers, churches, first responders and hospitals.
“We have helped restaurant workers make hot meals to deliver to families, nursing homes. We are proud that we have been able to tens of thousands of servings of the tortillas and thousands of cases of chips across the country,” he said.
Mariana Villegas, consul for community affairs at the Mexican Consulate in San Diego said she was thankful for this partnership and that Mission Foods is an emblematic global food company that has worked with the Consulate since August.
“This partnership addresses the emerging and involving need of the most vulnerable. Particularly, the Mexican and Latino immigrant population of San Diego in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. “In its first 16 weeks, the EFDN+ has provided more than 750,000 pounds of food within its 21 parish locations. We are delighted to be part of the effort to bringing much needed Mexican flavor and nutrition.”
