COLUMBIA, S.C. — On Wednesday, Latino Communications Community Development Corporation (LCDC) in Columbia launched a new initiative to bring more positivity into the community.
The organization is a 501 C-3 Non-profit that was founded 11 years ago by Tanya Rodriguez-Hodges.
"Latino Communications is here for the community, that's what we do," Rodriguez-Hodges said. "We bridge that gap, and we make certain that our community understands all of the products that are out there in the community for them."
Rodriguez-Hodges is the Executive Director of LCCDC. She said the organization prioritizes the underserved—specifically members of the Hispanic community.
"Today we kicked off our new initiative, #KindnessAhora, which translate to kindness now," Rodriguez-Hodges said. "It’s something that we want the community to get involved with. To post to facebook, all those social media platforms about why doing something for someone else is so important."
Rodriguez-Hodges said each month, the organization will look at all the posts about gratitude, paying it forward, or any other help to the community then randomly select one winner to receive a $50 gas card.
To kick off the campaign, volunteers handed out food boxes, filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, to those who need them most.
"We're out here doing food boxes, which we do on a regular," Rodriguez-Hodges said. "They are important because the community requires some assistance right we all been hurting from COVID, but some more than others. So we come up with the produce boxes that we partner with FoodShare."
The organization started their partnership with Food Share Columbia six (6) months ago, according to Rodriguez-Hodges. They also received 400 pairs of children's shoes that were given away, donated by a church in Charlotte, NC.
COVID-19 vaccines were also given out to the community at the kick-off event, along with fliers with critical health information in Spanish.
"I feel like it makes them more comfortable to know that there’s somebody there, that's willing to help when it comes to food insecurity and helping them stay safe from COVID," said Zimri Bertotty, a community member.
Bertotty said community events similar to the #KindnessAhora campaign, show community members support.
"I think it's important for the community to know that we're hear for the," Bertotty said. "That if we unite together as a community, we can do so much more in the world. We can protect so many people, just knowing there are so many people here that are willing to help, it shows a lot. It shows that we are doing our part in the community."
For more information about Latino Communications Community Development Corporation, CLICK HERE. #KindnessAhora