Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanesa Sarazua.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When my youngest child started Kindergarten, I knew it would be a great time to do volunteer work in the organization I had been looking into. I became a CASA and became heavily involved with immigrant families in Hall County. I advocated for children with cases and in care of DFCS. I spent seven years doing work with CASA as a Volunteer and then I started working with the Migrant Education program for Hall County Schools as a Facilitator of a team for supplemental services for this special community. Through this work, I was able to learn best about gaps for services for this special population. Five years ago, I decided to start Hispanic Alliance GA, a nonprofit that serves not only Hall County but other Counties in the State with outreach, education and direct services, serving our most vulnerable, living in poverty with barriers like transportation and language, cultural.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Struggles as a new nonprofit in an area that is rich in resources and organizations serving the community. But our unique focus and services helped us to overcome and prove that our existence for our community and those things that we represent for our community, as well as services we provide, have helped us prove that our work is valuable and needed.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a 501c3 that’s mission is to improve the lives of our Latinos in Georgia. We focus on education, health, immigration services at a lower cost and the help with stability and well-being for our communities. We have the first culturally appropriate food program in the State, focusing on accessibility of fresh produce to help our community living in poverty to have nutritious, appropriate food. We assist our families with basic needs like formula and diapers, clothes for newborns, blankets. We also hold health outreach events, with preventive screenings, vaccination and testing events. Our communities living in poverty have to choose monthly between rent and food, between an unexpected doctor bill and food. One day missed for our hard-working essential workers means they will not be able to pay rent that month and it sets them back. We are proud to have provided a culturally appropriate nutritious food box for 11,000 families last year, with access to fresh, produce and food that we know will help our families with dignity. We serve our community in connecting them to other support systems that help them to move out of poverty, help support their families better and learn ways to integrate and thrive.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
We are happy to support the Critical essential worker. In the World Capital of Poultry, that is our immigrant community, that through their hard work, contributes to half of the economy of the State. Through the Covid crisis, we helped our community with corporate in kind donations of food, vaccination and testing. We helped 10,000 families with drive-thru food boxes through the back of our building. We pulled together as a community, with volunteers, corporate partners to show solidarity and serve our community in the worst pandemic we have ever witnessed.
Contact Info:
- Email: hispanicalliancega@gmail.com
- Website: www.hispanicalliancega.org
- Instagram: @alianzaga
- Facebook: Hispanic Alliance GA
