ATLANTA — Jaime Pena needs a helping hand. On Monday, he came to the right place -- The Latin American Association in Brookhaven.
“When you have nothing at all, you come to us, and we help you,” Maria Hineosa said.
The association is the state’s largest nonprofit that serves Georgia’s Latino community.
“There’s a lot of need. A lot of hurt right now,” the nonprofit’s CEO, Santiago Marquez, told Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen.
Marquez said the need for the LAA’s food pantry peaked during the pandemic and has now spiked again.
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Over the last year, the nonprofit gave away 340,000 pounds of groceries. That’s 100,000 pounds more than the year before.
“A lot of our neighbors are hungry, and these folks are working. But they’re having to make tough decisions. Do I buy groceries? Do I pay rent? Do I go to the doctor?” Marquez said.
The nonprofit is doing its best to keep up.
Jamie Pena is grateful.
“They have the opportunity to connect with other members. Latin American members. So he feels like he has a home,” Hineosa said.
If you’d like to help the Latin American Association, you can donate here.
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