Source: White Pony Express

Under the auspices of WFI, the Mexican Association of Vegan Entrepreneurs is joining with California’s White Pony Express to create a global model for attacking food insecurity on a global scale

On July 7, 2022, a new global partnership will make the first of many shared moves against food insecurity.

Women Forward International, the global non-profit that is building creative partnerships to bring about unity, collaboration and service to humanity, will bring their Mexican partners, the Association of Vegan Entrepreneurs of Mexico (EVM), for a site visit and food distribution with their California partner, White Pony Express (WPE), a leading food rescue and recovery non-profit, located in Contra Costa County. This follows on WPE’s site visit sponsored by WFI to EVM’s headquarters in Monterrey, Mexico last month.

The food distribution will be held in conjunction with RR Ministries, a community bilingual church in Antioch. The event will take place on Thursday, July 7 at (time) in the church’s parking lot at 512 W. 2nd Street. Sweetgreen, the health-focused casual food restaurant chain and WPE partner, is providing 150 vegan salads for the volunteers. World Centric, leader in compostable materials and sustainability, will be providing earth friendly containers for the food distribution.

The event represents WFI’s expansion of a volunteer-powered food delivery service initiative in Mexico. The non-profit organization is bringing together White Pony Express and the Association of Vegan Entrepreneurs of Mexico in order to provide technical assistance and support for EVM’s Mesa Redonda Round Table initiative, aimed at reducing hunger in America’s neighbor.

Throughout EVM’s visit, WPE will help EVM deepen its work underway, institute safety policies and practices, raise awareness, and ultimately expand their services. WPE will provide lessons learned and will help develop manuals and approaches that will enable Mesa Redonda to incorporate more restaurants and other types of businesses into their network as well as serve additional organizations supporting women who have suffered from gender-based violence (GBV).

According to Kent Davis-Packard, founder and president of Women Forward International: “The collaboration of White Pony Express with its Mexican counterpart demonstrates the power of cross-border partnership to alleviate food insecurity and contribute to social equality. It also provides an example of a new paradigm of philanthropy that is based on love and human unity.”

Source: White Pony Express

Eve Birge, Executive Director of White Pony Express, adds, “We look forward to deepening the impact of the Mesa Redonda initiative through sharing best practices and approaches to building trust and collaboration. In short, we will help them create a model that will be scalable and is based on our belief in the ‘all of us taking care of all of us’ vision.”

Rocio Cavazos, founder and president of EVM, envisions a deeper purpose for her organization’s visit: “WFI and WPE are helping us achieve a shared goal of uplifting lives, protecting the environment, and putting an end to hunger and marginalization. This model can be applicable to the entire world.”

ABOUT WOMEN FORWARD INTERNATIONAL (WFI)

WFI(www.womenforwardinternational.org) builds creative partnerships that bridge mind and heart to bring about unity, collaboration and service to humanity. WFI’s partnerships encompass a range of private sector, academic and non-profit clients to identify research critical to human progress, and then pairs teams of graduate international studies students with these organizations to complete that research and implement innovative solutions. These projects include empowering women artisans in conflict zones, enabling sustainable farming with gender equity and taking steps toward the elimination of hunger along with inclusive access to education through digital and other unique platforms. WFI uses the reflective power of Art to reveal and investigate the underlying cultural issues at stake in a given international relations issue. It thus provides the next generation of global leaders with a more holistic approach to human relationships.

ABOUT VEGAN ENTREPRENEURS OF MEXICO (EVM)

Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, the Association of Vegan Entrepreneurs of Mexico (en.aevm.mx) is an NGO and entrepreneurial community that strives to empower consumers to adopt conscious and healthy lifestyles. Members make plant-based options accessible to the general public, replacing the use of animals to achieve balance with the Earth, the health of our bodies and an ethical interaction with other living beings with which we share the planet.

ABOUT WHITE PONY EXPRESS (WPE)

Based in the California Bay Area, White Pony Express (WPE) (www.whiteponyexpress.org) is a volunteer-powered organization with a mission to eliminate hunger and poverty by delivering the abundance all around us to those in need—with love. They serve 120,000 people each year by partnering with more than 80 non-profit agencies who have strong ties to the community. The rescue program at WPE has expanded this model by subjecting all collected food to a meticulous culling process and promising that it is obtained, sorted, and redistributed within a twenty-four-hour time period—seven days a week.

ABOUT RR MINISTRIES (MINISTERIOS REY DE REYES): RR Ministries is a bilingual ministry, located in Antioch, California. We believe God has called us to teach His word as an instrument of restoration and healing for the families in our community. We, as a church are committed to create an environment that builds healthy individuals and strong families. The church’s Promise Keeper Program conducts regularly conducts food and supplies distribution on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. For information, call (925) 588-4818.

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Antioch High School Principal Louie Rocha (center) joined Antioch Medical Center Chief Operating Operator Dante Green, FACHE (left), Kaiser Permanente Diablo Service Area Physician-in-Chief Sharon Krejci Mowat, MD, FAAP, and Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Program Coordinator Jamie Diaz (far right) at the Warm for the Holidays event on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. Photo: Kaiser Permanente

By Antonia Ehlers, PR and Media Relations, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

The line into the Antioch High School gymnasium was long, last Friday afternoon, as local families queued up on a chilly day for the annual Warm for the Holidays event, a joint effort of Kaiser Permanente, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, the high school, and other community organizations. The school district invited K-12 students of all ages, along with their families to “shop” for food, clothing, books and toys.

More than 2,000 pounds of food was distributed to families in the community.

“The Antioch High School Warm for the Holidays annual event has been a heartwarming experience for our students and staff, who have discovered the power of service to community,” said Antioch High School Principal Louie Rocha. “Despite the recent COVID-19 restrictions, we continue to provide our school community with necessities and gifts to share with their loved ones.”

Kaiser Permanente and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano provided the food portion of the distribution. The Antioch Rotary Club, Holy Rosary Church and the Antioch Woman’s Club donated clothing, toys, books and games.

Through a $550,000 grant to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, Kaiser Permanente is helping fight food insecurity in the community.

“In order for children to learn in school, we need to increase access to healthy food in our communities,” said Sharon Krejci Mowat, MD, FAAP, Kaiser Permanente Diablo Service Area Physician-in-Chief. “This has been a particularly difficult year for so many families, and partnerships like these in our community our critical to ensuring families have the food they need to lead healthy lives.”

Food insecurity has been an increasing concern throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano has distributed more than 50 percent more food than the previous fiscal year and has served 80,000-100,000 more people each month over last year.

“With generous funding from Kaiser Permanente, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano has been able to purchase fresh produce along with nutritious shelf-stable food for distribution at schools across the community,” said Lindsay Drakeley, leadership gifts manager at the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. “The Food Bank is thankful to have strong community partnerships that make events like this possible.”

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Place food orders, here: https://most-holy-rosary—mhrc-filipino-american-club.square.site/

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The owners of Cielo Supermarket (l-r) Luis and Lupita Ayala and Fabiola and Hector Gomez in front of the new store they’re excited will be opening soon.

Family-owned store will offer wide selection of fresh produce, meats, seafood, breads, pastries and meals prepared daily

By Allen Payton

The Mexican supermarket is located in the shopping center at 18th and A Streets in Antioch, in the former Grocery Outlet.

Owners Hector and Fabiola Gomez, and her parents, Luis and Lupita Ayala, are excited about opening their next grocery store, Cielo Supermarket, in Antioch. Located at the former site of the Grocery Outlet in the shopping center at 1818 A Street, the store is expected to open on March 22, and will be the only grocery store in Antioch north of Highway 4.

The history of Cielo Supermarket dates back to years of Mexican traditions and customs. It is a family business founded by Hector and Fabiola along with her parents. Together they have over 30 years of experience serving the Contra Costa community from Hector’s family markets, Las Montañas Supermarkets.

Lupita brings the heart to Cielo with her passion to cook with love and bursts of unimaginable flavor. Together, inspired by their Mexican roots, they and their associates will use all their knowledge, dedication and devotion to their Cielo Supermarket and share it with love and appreciation to all their customers.

Cielo in Spanish means sky, and the sky is the limit for what they offer and what you want from a Mexican supermarket. Besides a wide and assorted variety of products from national, Mexico and Latin America brands of produce and groceries imported from local and international farms, the supermarket will also include a variety of departments:

The store will offer a variety of departments for customers.

Cocina de Lupita taqueria, which they refer to as the “Heart of Cielo”, will feature authentic chile verde, carne en su jugo, burritos, tacos, ceviches, tamales, chiles rellenos, carnitas, chicharrones, carne asada and the must try secret recipe of the artisanal mole. The Jugueria, the juice bar , will offer agua frescas, horchata and fresh jugos/juices; Panaderia offering breads and pastries baked fresh daily; a Tortilleria offering fresh chips, tortillas and masa for tamales; Pasteleria offering decorated cakes, cupcakes, fruit tarts, fruit and mosaic jellies, rice pudding, flan and chocoflan, chocolate covered strawberries and other desserts; Cremeria Deli offering a variety of cremas/sour cream, cheeses, ham and chorizo from different regions of Mexico and Central America, including their own Cielo Supermarket brand chorizo, made with hand selected ingredients; Carniceria, meat department, offering an extensive variety and selection of delicious marinated meats including beef, pork and chicken, meats, cut daily by their certified and well-trained expert butchers; Mariscos, seafood department, offering an assorted selection of your favorite fresh, quality seafood direct from the sea including fish, shrimp, crab and lobster; and for los niños, the children, they will offer a Candy Shop with sweets, treats and piñatas!

The family is committed to providing memorable experiences to their guests, associates and their community, which is their main mission.

“Our values are founded on sharing our Latino heritage through traditions, customer service culture, food, aromas and flavors that awaken your palate and the senses,” Hector said. “Let us transport you to a unique and incomparable experience that will invite you to return to our store again.”

The finishing touches are being made to prepare the store for opening later this month.

Cielo Supermarket guarantees the quality, excellence and freshness of each of their products. They are proudly made fresh daily at their location by the hands of their expert associates, who give their work and put best effort with passion and dedication, to achieve a product worthy of the Cielo Supermarket’s seal.

“Discover for yourself the new customer service experience, the quality of our meals, the family atmosphere and the authentic flavor of Mexico in each of our products with the Cielo Supermarket seal of quality,” said Fabi.

“We are sure you will love it!” said Luis. “Los esperamos pronto,” added Lupita, which means “we hope to see you soon.”

The store will be opening at 5:00 a.m. so people who need to go to work early can stop by and get their breakfast burritos, coffee, pastries to go.

“We are so happy to contribute with not only serving the needs of the households with their meal prep but also, we are happy to be providing jobs to the Antioch community,” Fabi shared. “We are adding a twist of modern to a traditional Mexican store look that everyone is used to seeing.

“So excited to share our store with Antioch!” she added.

Visit their website for more information at www.cielosupermarket.com and be sure to like and follow them on Facebook and Instagram for daily and weekly specials and more.

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Chill Tea & Coffee owners Sal amd Yvette Gomez and some of the products they offer. Screenshots from Facebook video.

By Allen Payton

Sean McCauley has brought another food establishment to Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown, with the opening of Chill Tea & Coffee at 101 H Street, Waldie Plaza, in the old Casino building, Tuesday, Dec. 1st. This will be the second location for owners Sal and Yvette Gomez having opened their first in Brentwood.

“We’re so excited to open our second location, right here in the heart of this historic downtown district of Antioch,” Sal said. “We specialize in pour over coffees from single origin and original chill blends. We also have a wide variety of specialty teas.”

“You really can’t go wrong whether you try our signature chai or our popular fruity, chilled teas and fresh baked pastries you’re sure to love,” said Yvette. “We are so excited, and we can’t wait for you to check us out.”

“I’m so excited for Chill Tea & Coffee to bring their signature coffees, teas, and delicious pastries to downtown Antioch!” McCauley posted on his Facebook page. “Who’s coming to downtown Antioch to support them?”

“We are very excited to see you all this Tuesday,” the Gomezes added. “See you all soon.”

Hours: Weekdays 7am to 2pm, Weekends 8am to 2pm

You can place your scheduled orders online via Toast App and pick up at the window.  Make sure to choose the Antioch location when placing your order.

#chillteaandcoffee #chill #coffee #tea #pastries #downtown #rivertown #antioch #antiochrivertown #supportsmallbusiness #local

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By Greg Heckmann, Creative Marketing Consultant, Maya Cinemas

Maya Cinemas is keeping the fresh popcorn popping while its guests are at home watching movies on the small screen. This is a way for Maya to stay connected to its movie going community. The first week of the program was incredibly well received and orders were beyond all expectations.

Maya Cinemas launched a new program on April 8th where customers can purchase a 2-gallon resealable bag of popcorn and 2 movie size candies for $12. $2 add-ons to this package are available with a full list on the website.

The program is available every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Orders can be called in between 9am and 3pm with zero-contact pickup at the theater between 2pm and 5pm. Pickups are assigned in 15-minute increments to ensure safe distancing between guests. All payments must be completed over the phone to ensure safe pickup, so no cash payments accepted.

All info including order phone numbers, candy available and more at https://www.mayacinemas.com/popcorn-pickup

Maya Cinemas in Pittsburg is located at 4085 Century Blvd.

Get your tickets now at mayacinemas.com, you can also signup for weekly email showtimes!  

Maya Cinemas was chartered in 2001 with a mission to develop, build, own and operate modern, first-run, megaplex movie theaters in underserved, family oriented, Latino-dominant communities. Maya offers first-run Hollywood movies in high-end cinemas focused on quality of design and state-of-the-art presentation technologies while keeping a keen focus on superior customer service.

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Benefits Auto-Issued for the Month of March

On Thursday evening, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a statewide shelter-in-place order for all Californians, except certain essential employees and residents acquiring necessities, such as food, prescriptions, and health care.

WIC provides healthy foods and support services to families.  If your income has been affected by recent events, and you are pregnant, recently had a baby, or have an infant or child under the age of five, you may be qualified to receive WIC services.  Applying is easy and quick.  You will receive your food benefits within a few days. You can apply online at cchealth.org/wic or call 1 (800) 414-4WIC.

WIC food benefits are considered an essential service. We will strive to continue to serve our community during this time under the governor’s and local Health Officer’s order.  Currently, we are providing all WIC services over the phone, including new enrollments.  To protect you and our WIC staff, all in-person appointments are suspended at this time.  Please stay at home.  The new WIC Card and WIC app make it easy for you to access your benefits electronically.

Community members should call their local WIC offices to enroll or certify, obtain future food benefits, reschedule, get breastfeeding help, or to get questions answered.

• Concord & Crossroad WIC: (925) 646-5370
• Brentwood WIC: (925) 513-6880
• Pittsburg WIC: (925) 431-2460
• San Pablo WIC: (510) 942-4000

Please note that California WIC started monthly auto issuance of benefits and extended some certifications for those who were eligible.  This means if you have a WIC card, you may already have your benefits pre-loaded.  You can check your California WIC app for benefits.

If you have any additional questions, please contact your local WIC program at 1 (800) 414-4WIC.  For further Covid-19-related information, please visit the county website at:  cchealth.org or CDPH website.

WIC and Contra Costa Health Services are committed to providing the individuals and communities we serve with high quality, comprehensive, community-directed care that is accessible to all and culturally and linguistically appropriate.

Please note that WIC is safe to use and does not affect immigration status for anyone who is currently in the U.S.  WIC is not considered a part of public charge.  We are here to help!

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By Steven Spraitzar, Public Relations, White Pony Express

White Pony Express (WPE), the Pleasant Hill food rescue group, announces that its programs are continuing to operate under Contra Costa County’s stringent requirements to contain the spread of COVID-19.   Specifically, WPE wishes to let the public know that:

• White Pony Express remains OPEN for business. It continues to rescue nutritious fresh food from supermarkets and restaurants and deliver it free to those in need in our communities.
• WPE’s School Food Pantry Program is continuing to deliver food to free-lunch schools in the county. However, because the schools have closed, this food is now being taken to alternative distribution sites where the food is being made available to the school families.
• Volunteers are urgently needed as some volunteers wish to self-isolate.
• Those who wish to volunteer can sign up at https://www.whiteponyexpress.org/covid-19-response-volunteer
• Financial donations are also needed so WPE can continue providing nutritious food to hungry people. If you’d like to contribute, you can do so by visiting WPE’s website at https://www.whiteponyexpress.org/donate-funds.
• WPE will make limited deliveries of needed clothing for the foreseeable future.
• No donations of clothing will be accepted while the shelter-in-place order is in effect.
• WPE has implemented stringent health guidelines in place to protect its volunteers. These protocols (hand washing, use of hand sanitizers, gloves, social distancing, etc.) are now a part of all WPE’s food and clothing operations.

ABOUT WPE:  WPE is a volunteer-powered 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Pleasant Hill, CA, which helps people move from the margins to the mainstream by providing free food and clothing in a loving and respectful manner.

Dr. Carol Weyland Conner founded WPE in September 2013 when she was troubled that in an area with such an abundance of food, many thousands were going hungry, while at the same time food retailers were throwing out huge quantities of healthy, fresh food. From this insight, the Food Rescue program was born. In a little over 6 years, WPE has rescued and delivered more than 10.5 million pounds of fresh, nutritious food, free of charge, that would otherwise go to waste. This is equivalent to 8,750,000 meals.

In 2014 the White Pony General Store was added to provide high quality clothing, toys, and books to the underserved in our communities—all free of charge. Since that time, the General Store has given away over 512,000 items to those in need.

For more on WPE, visit www.whiteponyexpress.org.

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