Rotary Club of Florence Partnering With New Non-Profit to Support Growing Hispanic Population

Written By: Will Baker, Rotary Club of Florence

“We want to help everyone who comes through our doors—it doesn’t matter where you’re from or who you are—we want to be a hub for the community,” said FIESTA Founder and CEO Theresa Cruz (@TheresaC9907). “We want this to be a welcoming place in the community where people know they can come to get help. We have food, we have clothing, and we connect people to resources in the community.”

FIESTA, which stands for Families, Inclusion, Education, Society, Traditions, and Access, is a grassroots, non-profit organization that assists the underserved Hispanic population in Northern Kentucky.  The organization’s mission and vision are to support self-sufficiency, build capacity, uplift, and advance the Hispanic community while helping build a community where Hispanics are valued and have timely and equitable access to the resources needed to thrive and become a social and economic engine for the region.

The Rotary Club of Florence (@FlorenceRotary) recently began a quarterly donation drive to help support an area non-profit. For the second quarter of 2024, members of the club’s Community Engagement team selected FIESTA as the inaugural organization. According to Engagement Team Lead Barb Keeling, FIESTA was selected because of its mission and because it has only been open since November 2023. “FIESTA is so new,” Keeling explained, “It doesn’t have the support that other organizations for food insecurities have at this point.”

FIESTA, located at 7536 US Highway 42 in Florence, offers an on-site emergency food pantry, coordinates resources, partners with local agencies, and holds food distribution events and other community events. “We hold a food distribution event once a month,” said Cruz. “Each month, we give away about 70 boxes of food, which provides a week’s worth of food for a family of four, and the great thing about it is that it is culturally relevant food.”

Keeling said Rotary wanted to get involved in collecting culturally relevant food. “This segment of our community is greatly underserved, so we felt it was a good fit and that we could make a difference. Since we are collecting culturally relevant food for the Hispanic population, our collection drive can be much more targeted than a traditional canned food drive.”

“Families will go to other pantries, and they won’t recognize the food,” said Cruz. “By providing them with food that they recognize and that they know how to cook with, it gives them a sense of home, and a sense of comfort to know that somebody thought of them.”

The Rotary Club of Florence recently held its first annual Community Open House, during which Keeling presented the collection drive. The Engagement Team has provided paper grocery bags; on that bag is a list of all the items FIESTA needs to collect. People who are interested in participating simply need to pick up a bag, fill it up, or purchase a gift card, and return it to the club.

Members and non-members alike made sure to grab bags before heading out. Non-member Kila was visiting the club from Covington, Kentucky, and took two bags home with her. “Even though I’m not a club member,” she said, “I’m still a member of the Northern Kentucky community. I’m going to fill one bag, and I’m going to have my book club fill the second bag. It seems like such an easy thing to do, and it makes a huge impact.”

According to school enrollment data, Kentucky’s Latino population has increased by 233% in the past 20 years. “We use school enrollment data,” explained Cruz, “Because there tends to be a mistrust of the Census, so school enrollment data gives us a clearer picture.” Cruz said there are 13 Hispanic countries represented in the region, including Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico, and Nicaragua.

Cruz said she is grateful to the Rotary Club of Florence for all of its support. “Obviously, I can’t do all of this myself, but by working together, we can create awareness, build trust, create connections, and foster collaboration in our community.” In addition to the Rotary Club of Florence, FIESTA partners with other area agencies, including Gateway Community College, the Kentucky Career Center for Workforce Development, Master Provisions, and US Foods. “All of these things together will help fulfill our mission to build capacity, uplift, and advance the Hispanic community of Boone County.”

FIESTA is asking for donations of:

• 5lbs bag of rice
• 1lb back of black or pinto beans
• 2lbs bag of Masseca (cornflower)
• 2lbs bag of PAN flower
• 1lb box of spaghetti
• 1lb box of lentils
• Canned corn
• Mixed vegetables
• Diapers Size 3-7
• Baby wipes
• or a $65 gift card
• or shop FIESTA’s Amazon Wishlist

#FloRo #ServicAboveSelf #PeopleofAction #FIESTANKy #FoodInsecurity #Inclusion