Latino Philanthropists: A Support Force for the Latino Community

Although the economic need has increased in all aspects, in recent years it has also been seen that various people have dedicated themselves to helping others without expecting anything in return.

The philanthropic work of Latinos is not far behind and at local and international levels, some of them share that 'in giving, there is receiving.' Tito Rodríguez, better known as Hood Santa (Santa del Barrio), has carried out philanthropic work for about 11 years in his Long Beach community. Among the most recent charitable efforts is the help he gave to a family whose 14-year-old daughter has leukemia.

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Rodríguez said that he is not a millionaire nor does he have friends with a lot of money, but he does know some who do well financially and he motivates them to help those most in need.“There are some who don't know how to help and I tell them, 'with $20 you can buy a family a turkey' and they give me $100 and I go and buy them,” said Rodríguez, who is part of the Local Hearts Foundation. daughter managed to raise about 40 toys that their daughter wrapped up and delivered. Eleven years later, the annual collection will be thousands of toys and clothes for those most in need. "I am very pleased to do this because I remember when I was a child and I woke up at Christmas and there was nothing," Rodríguez recalled. "So if I can help a little, I'd be happy to do so."

The Hood Santa has already given away thousands of turkeys for Thanksgiving and has also given out dozens of Christmas trees at the beginning of the month so that families in need can celebrate as well. He is currently working on delivering toys for hundreds of children in his area.

Another Latino helping the Latino community is Efraín Escobedo who is the Vice President of Public Policy and Civic Engagement with the California Community Foundation. He was also recently chosen to be the president of the board of directors of Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP), an organization dedicated to increasing the number of Latinos in foundations and in supporting the Latino community. HIP's mission is to strengthen leadership, Latino influence and equity by leveraging philanthropic resources with an unwavering vision of social justice and shared prosperity in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. One of his boldest visions is by committing $1 million to create “The Power Up Fund” (the energy fund), which recognizes that the Latino community not only needs charity or social programs but also needs to generate wealth. “So The Power Up Fund is a small program of loans and grants that dedicated to promoting and incubating Latino startups, small businesses across the country,” Escobedo explained.

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HIP recently held their conference where they even highlighted other non-profit organizations doing community service work through their financial support. Among these organizations were the Coalition for Human Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) and Catholic Charities.

And the work with the most vulnerable communities, such as street vendors, is being carried out by the influencer Jesús Morales, better known as Juixxe and who since the start of the pandemic has dedicated himself to helping hundreds of street vendors.

Morales previously said in an interview with La Opinión that when he lost his job in the city of San Diego, he began creating videos on social networks. He later tried to raise funds to help the homeless. But his passion increased when he managed to raise funds and began to give money to street vendors, mainly immigrants, who were shocked to see how this unknown young man left them envelopes with $1,000.

Morales said they remind him of his parents.

“My dad worked multiple jobs and my mom worked as a waitress and she told me that sometimes people only tipped her pennies,” she recalled. Since then, she has dedicated herself to giving away money that she raises herself with his thousands of followers. By sharing the videos of the donations, he not only helps the vendors and encourages more followers to donate, but his altruistic work causes him inexplicable joy.

“I don't know them [the vendors] nor do I know what they're going through, nor would I say that I arrive at a perfect time, but I do visit them with a purpose,” said the influencer.