Goya donates 10,000 pounds of food to help Wonder Girls fight food insecurity for the holidays
HAVERSTRAW, New York (WABC) -- Although we said "goodbye" to Thanksgiving, we should remember that the season of giving is not yet over.
While many families gather for a warm and cozy meal during the holiday season, many on the other hand do not.
In honor of Giving Tuesday, Goya Foods has partnered with Wonder Girls to support families in need by providing them with food to put on their tables.
"This is the time to celebrate and give thanks to our families and each other, and at Goya, we do that by lending a helping hand to those less fortunate in our communities," said Bob Unanue, President and CEO of Goya Foods. "Through our Goya Gives initiative, we donate food throughout the year when needed but every holiday season, we make sure to donate more to not only provide a warm meal but to bring comfort to families and individuals who may otherwise go without."
Wonder Girls is a nonprofit, after-school program that strives to empower middle and high school girls by teaching them leadership and business skills through workshops and community service.
"Every month, we partner with different organizations to help raise awareness and educate about an important social cause that affects our neighborhoods," said Natalie Maniscalco, Co-Founder of Wonder Girls. "For November, we are focusing on food insecurity, and Giving Tuesday is a great day to get our girls involved in really helping to make a difference in their community."
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To support the Wonder Girls Giving Tuesday mission, Goya donated 10,000 pounds of food.
"It's really amazing to work alongside Wonder Girls; to donate food and to also give young women the opportunity to help their community," Unanue said. "We're really proud of our partnership with Wonder Girls and proud of each of these young women who could be doing anything else on Tuesday, but instead they choose to be of service during a time when showing love and support is really needed."
With Goya's generous donation, over 100 Wonder Girls will be playing their part by gathering at the Haverstraw center on Tuesday to pack individual bags of food for families receiving donations.
"We lead by example and we want our girls to learn what it means to be socially responsible and to really care about helping others and also supporting each other," said Irene Zervoudis, Co-Founder of Wonder Girls. "The best part of this all for us, is seeing the smiles on our girls' faces and hearing how they feel about being productive."
As these young girls from high schools around New Jersey and New York come together for a fun day of meeting new people and packing meals for families in need, they are taking up a big role in shining a bright light on the hope in humanity.
"I signed up for Wonder Girls to be surrounded by a community of strong-minded women who are passionate about their craft and to be in an environment that uplifts young girls while teaching them how to achieve their goals," said Gina Joseph from North Rockland High School. "Helping others is important to me because I know the everlasting effect that support can have on someone's life and their overall well-being."
For more information about Wonder Girls and their mission, please click here.
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