[00:00:00] [Angelito]: NUEVOenUS.org presents “Route to the American Dream”. This program is for people who are new to the United States and in each program, we’ll be talking about obstacles that they may have, to move forward in the United States and achieve the American dream and let’s start with “Route to the American Dream”.
[00:00:24] [Angelito]: What’s up friends? This is “Route to the American Dream”. Thanks to Tampa Bay Network To End Hunger, also NUEVOenUS.org, Housing & Education Alliance, Gulfcoast Legal Services and let’s start with “Route to the American Dream” and here we have with us Laura Catalina, who’s going to be talking to us about how we’re going to end hunger in Tampa Bay. How are you, Laura? Greetings.
[00:00:46] [Laura]: How are you? Very good. You told me Laura Catalina. Wow, I felt scolded, that’s how my mom used to call me when I did something wrong.
[00:00:52] [Angelito]: [Laughter] That’s true.
[00:00:53] [Laura]: And she told me “Come here, Laura Catalina!” [Laughter]
[00:00:56] [Angelito]: Well, they call me Angelito when I’m good, but when I’m misbehaving, they say “Angel, come here!”.
[00:01:04] [Laura]: Angel?
[00:01:05] [Angelito]: Angel, and that’s when I say “Oh, I did something wrong”.
[00:01:08] [Laura]: Well, Angel, come here!
[00:01:09] [Angelito]: [Laughter]
[00:01:10] [Laura]: Laura [Laughter]
[00:01:12] [Angelito]: Hi, how are you?
[00:01:13] [Laura]: I’m very well, very happy, very happy to be with you and with all the people who are listening to us at this moment.
[00:01:19] [Angelito]: That’s great. Tell me a little about yourself, since in the last podcasts we didn’t talk about you, nor about me either.
[00:01:27] [Laura]: Oh, you’re absolutely right. Well, I’m going to tell you a little about myself. My name is Laura Catalina, as Mr. Angel, Angelito [Laughter], has already told you.
[00:01:34] [Angelito]: [Laughter]
[00:01:37] [Laura]: I’m Laura Diez and I’m a bachelor in Communication. I work for different media here in Tampa Bay, but this time I have the privilege of being able to be part of, be the voice of Tampa Bay Network To End Hunger and I’m happy, especially because this is an organization that helps people here in Tampa Bay, who are suddenly going through difficult times, like many of us have gone through difficult times at some point in our lives and they’re dedicated to helping end hunger, to eradicate hunger in our Tampa Bay and that’s why I’m proud to be able to give good messages. Sometimes we hear bad news on the news, that this happened, that that happened, that there’s war here, that there’s war there, there’s hunger, but how good it is to be the bearer of good news and for me, that’s a great privilege and makes me happy.
[00:02:26] [Angelito]: Of course, and the way inflation is, people– There are people who are working two or three jobs and it’s very difficult for them to bring food home. For example, many people work at dawn to be able to -and they have 3 or 4 children- to be able to support their family. There are many single mothers who find it difficult, there are delinquent fathers who sometimes don’t give a penny for their children.
[00:02:54] [Laura]: Sometimes that happens.
[00:02:55] [Angelito]: And that’s it, and we have to fight for life and try to support our children, right?
[00:03:03] [Laura]: Right, and look, sometimes it’s difficult, sometimes it can be difficult due to different situations. Look, it could be because you don’t have legal documents in the country and that can make the situation a bit difficult for some people or you simply fell ill and that can also prevent the person from being able to work as needed. There are so many situations that can happen in life, but we want to tell everyone that you’re not alone, that help is available. I think it’s important to know where help is available, so that you can go and get that help. You have to know that you’re not alone, that there’s a friendly hand that reaches out to you and there’s help wherever you want. You can get help near your community and that’s precisely what we want to tell you today, about the help available to you. If you’re suddenly in need of food to bring to your table, help is available.
[00:03:52] [Angelito]: Tell me a little bit about the relief map in the Tampa Bay area.
[00:03:58] [Laura]: Yeah, of course.
[00:03:59] [Angelito]: For example, in St. Petersburg, Hillsborough county and Pasco, okay?
[00:04:02] [Laura]: I’m going to tell you exactly. Of course, you’re right and I’m going to tell you they are: Hillsborough County, Pasco County and Pinellas County. That’s where we focus on helping, and there’s places there where you can go and you can order food for yourself and for your family, for your children. So, we want to focus right now on those three counties, which are Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas. So, if you’re in any of these counties, this help is for you.
[00:04:30] [Angelito]: Okay. Key question, many people– We know that there are many undocumented people in these counties, if a person is going to apply for food assistance, do they have to show any document that may be illegal or not legal in this country?
[00:04:49] [Laura]: Angelito, thank you for that question. It’s not needed, that’s doesn’t matter, if you have your legal documents or you don’t have your legal documents, you can request this type of help completely free for you and I want to tell you who we are precisely, so that if you’re listening to us right now from your ca. If maybe you’re at home and you can go get a pencil or a pen and be able to write down this information that we’re giving you, I really recommend it because it will be a great blessing and a lot of help for your family. So, I want to tell you that we’re Tampa Bay Network To End Hunger, that’s an organization that was founded–
[00:05:23] [Angelito]: And in English?
[00:05:24] [Laura]: Huh?
[00:05:25] [Angelito]: In English it’s called Tampa Bay Network To End Hunger.
[00:05:29] [Laura]: Correct, Tampa Bay Network To End Hunger.
[00:05:30] [Angelito]: For the gringos who are listening to us, since they’re also learning Spanish.
[00:05:33] [Laura]: Oh, that too. No, they’re also welcome because the help is also for them, of course.
[00:05:37] [Angelito]: [Laughter] Of course.
[00:05:38] [Laura]: I’ll tell you who we are. We were founded in 2011 by leaders of various organizations who were somehow fighting hunger in our Tampa Bay. However, they were doing it in individual efforts, an organization here, another organization there, a leader here, a leader there, and the moment came when they said “well, why don’t we join forces?”
[00:06:00] [Angelito]: Basically, they built a network.
[00:06:02] [Laura]: Yeah, a network, to cover, to make a stronger coalition, because obviously we already know that united, we’re stronger and instead of making individual efforts, they decided to unite, to make this network to help people together, to help the Tampa Bay community who, due to different situations, have these problems of bringing food to their homes. For them to not have that uncertainty, you know? That uncertainty that many of us have experienced at some point, of saying “well, what am I going to do? I don’t earn enough to bring food home for my children or to go to bed after having eaten.” Well, precisely this type of help and this network was created to help those people.
[00:06:44] [Laura]: I want to tell you that we’re made up of more than 350 members, including Car Credit, which we know helps the Tampa community with different types of aid and food. We also know the service that they offer with their dealer and different services that they offer. Among these members is Car Credit and there’s also others such as non-profit organizations, organizations and universities too. Well, different companies and leaders who say “look, I have the knowledge, I know how we can do it” and they come together and brainstorm how they can improve and how they can pool their efforts to help people in need in Tampa Bay.
[00:07:29] [Angelito]: What do people have to do to receive this service?
[00:07:33] [Laura]: Well, I’m going to tell you about several options that we have, but above all, in order to understand how this type of aid works, I want to tell you what we do. For example, one way that– If you’re listening to us right now and you say “well, I feel like I need this help,” don’t feel embarrassed, don’t be ashamed and we want to start with those. We’ve all had difficult times, haven’t we, Angelito?
[00:07:56] [Angelito]: Yeah, of course, definitely, especially when we arrived in this country. It becomes very difficult; we don’t know anything. We even go hungry sometimes.
[00:08:05] [Laura]: Yes, yes, I think that everyone–
[00:08:07] [Angelito]: In our countries we have a banana tree, we grab some and that’s it, but–
[00:08:11] [Laura]: Really?
[00:08:12] [Angelito]: Yeah
[00:08:13] [Laura]: You go to the store and you buy some tomatoes and you make a stew with onion and egg and you just go and eat that, right? But sometimes it’s difficult here or we don’t know many things. I want to tell you that you don’t have to be ashamed of that, we’re here to help you. Tampa Bay Network To End Hunger has been created precisely for you and if you need it right now, take advantage of this type of help. So, if you want and you have any kind of– You need any kind of help, you can go to our website networktoendhunger.org and you’re going to look up the Hunger Gap Map. There you’ll be able to search for information, just put your zip code, the area where you are and, in this way, you can search for those places where you can go and find free food for you and your family. So, we invite you to go to networktoendhunger.org, so that there you can find the place closest to you, so that you can seek this type of help.
[00:09:07] [Angelito]: Okay, we have a few minutes left. Let’s talk a little– I know you’re great with recipes, let’s talk a little about recipes. What can we do with this or that and make it easy for when you get– When we get home from work, to be able to give our kids a quick meal?
[00:09:23] [Laura]: Well, I’m going to tell you about the type of products that we precisely offer. When you go and receive your food, according to the place that belongs to your community or to your zip code, I want to tell you that we give you certain products that are essential in your pantry and that you can make something delicious and nutritious for you and your children. So, we’re going to make a recipe for cowboy beans and for example, for this one you’re going to need a can of beans. See? Something cheap. A can of mixed vegetables, a can of ham or whatever meat you have on hand. A clove of garlic, a quarter of onion, oil, salt and pepper. This is delicious. What we’re going to do is, we’re going to chop the garlic and the onion, we’re going to chop it very small. We’re going to add the oil and a little salt, so that we can cure that onion and make a delicious stew.
[00:10:12] [Laura]: We’re going to put it in a pot over medium heat, and we’re going to put a little garlic to give it more flavor and more seasoning. We’re going to drain the vegetables and we’re going to add them to the pot as well, we’re going to put it all together. Then we’re going to put the ham in cubes or any type of meat, the one that you like, chicken, beef, whatever you have we’re going to put it there.
[00:10:31] [Angelito]: Pork meat.
[00:10:33] [Laura]: Uh huh, and we’re going to leave it for a while and then we’re going to add the canned beans. We’re going to cover it all together and we’re going to cook it for about 5 or 10 minutes so that those flavors and those juices and that delicious broth come together. We’re going to add salt and pepper to taste and we can serve it with bread.
[00:10:52] [Laura]: Something important. Some tips that we give about health is that we should always rinse the beans before using them to eliminate that excess salt. Really, it’s not so good for our body. We’re going to use the freshest vegetables possible and we can, as I told you before, we are going to substitute the protein with the one we like the most. So, this recipe, which is made in a matter of ten or fifteen minutes, is not only fast but it’s nutritious and also economical, because we can do a lot with just a little. It’s simply a matter of creativity and these types of products are what we give in Tampa Bay Network To End Hunger and as I say, it’s available to you. So, just visit us at networktoendhunger.org. Write it down, networktoendhunger.org. You’re going to go to our map, the Hunger Gap Map, and there you’ll find in which places near your community this type of help is being delivered completely free of charge.
[00:11:45] [Angelito]: Thank you very much Laura for being with us, and it’ll be until next time.
[00:11:48] [Laura]: Thank you.
[00:11:49] [Angelito]: Thanks
[00:11:50] [Laura]: Thanks
[00:11:51] [Angelito]: “Route to the American Dream”. Tampa Bay Network To End Hunger, NUEVOenUS.org, Housing & Education Alliance, Gulfcoast Legal Services. Thank you, Laura, for being with us again and it’ll be until next time.
[00:12:03] [Laura]: Sure, see you later and thank you.
[00:12:04] [Angelito]: NUEVOenUS.org, learn English as a second language for free. For information you can send an email to info@nuevoenus.org or call (813) 856-5660. Appointment required. Learn English for free as a second language.
[00:12:20] [Music] Car Credit, Car Credit, your car has come into your life. Car Credit, Car Credit. Find one that suits you. Count on us, we’re professionals.
[00:12:42] [Angelito]: Car Credit, with more than 25 years. New to the United States? We approve 2 years of free maintenance on almost all vehicles. carcredittampa.com.
[00:12:51] [Angelito]: Hello. What’s up friends? We now turn to Sarykarmen with a very special message from Gulfcoast Legal Services.
[00:12:59] [Sarykarmen Rivera]: A pleasure to accompany you. I’m Sarykarmen Rivera and if during these days you received a document from the immigration court or something that has to do with your immigration status, please don’t ignore it. We’re telling you this, because in fact we invited attorney Daniela Camacho from Gulfcoast Legal. Welcome lawyer Camacho and please tell us, why is it so important that people do not put aside these documents they’re receiving?
[00:13:22] [Daniela Camacho]: Good morning Sary and thank you. Yes, you said the most important words, please don’t ignore anything that comes to you from the immigration court. It’s essential that you attend your court date. In the document that you receive, which is a notice to appear in court, the date on which you should attend will also be there and it’s very important that you attend this appointment. If you don’t, otherwise you could actually be deported in your absence.
[00:13:46] [Sarykarmen Rivera]: We know that our community is very busy, you have many jobs and things like that to be able to help your family move forward. Can you as attorneys or do you have the ability to change those immigration appointments?
[00:13:57] [Daniela Camacho]: It’s possible, but again, it always has to be in conversation with the court. If you need more time, you can also go to court that day and ask for a deadline to better prepare your case.
[00:14:09] [Sarykarmen Rivera]: That’s why it’s very important that people consult with trained and certified attorneys. Without a doubt, tell us about the importance of this.
[00:14:16] [Daniela Camacho]: Absolutely, Sary, it’s very important. We’ve seen that many people in our community have been affected, asking for help from people who are not authorized to practice law or to give legal advice. If you have immigration questions, please always turn to an authorized and licensed person for legal advice.
[00:14:35] [Sarykarmen Rivera]: And of course, you can also receive the assistance of attorney Daniela Camacho from Gulfcoast Legal.
[00:14:40] [Angelito]: Hello, what’s up friends? We’re with “Route to the American dream”. Thanks to Car Credit, Tampa Bay Network To End Hunger, NUEVOenUS.org, Housing & Education Alliance, Gulfcoast Legal Services and let’s start with Silvia Álvarez, who’s going to talk to us about Housing & Education Alliance. Hello Silvia, how are you?
[00:14:58] [Silvia Álvarez]: Very good, thank you Angelito.
[00:15:00] [Angelito]: Tell me about what’s new, what’s been happening here in the Bay Area with the Housing & Education Alliance. We know that there are many people who are behind in their payments. Do you also help them with their house rent payments?
[00:15:12] [Silvia Álvarez]: Yes, of course, the rent and also the mortgage. The program that Hillsborough County now has and also the city of Tampa, Pasco county and some other areas that we’re working on, is a government program that if the person is three months behind on their rent or on their mortgage payment, we can give you that money. Not to you per se, but we can send it to the bank you owe the money or we can send it to the landlord. So, a lot of people have– We started two months ago and we already have over 500 people who have applied for this. We have already given that payment to more than 100 people, the others are in process, because there are documents that you have to give us in order to ensure that you’re behind. In some cases, people are to the point of being evicted, kicked out of their apartment and we personally run up and say “we’re going to have to do this today, it’s for a couple who are going to get kicked out”. So, this can be avoided and then it gives the person a little bit more time to get a new job or something that can–
[00:16:35] [Angelito]: Of course
[00:16:36] [Silvia Álvarez]: You know, just a little.
[00:16:37] [Angelito]: And you also help them get a job if they’ve lost their job before, right?
[00:16:40] [Silvia Álvarez]: Well, yeah, we also–
[00:16:41] [Angelito]: Since that’s the reason they can’t pay the rent or can’t pay the mortgage.
[00:16:43] [Silvia Álvarez]: Exactly, that’s what happens. We’re located inside the Career Source, the one on the corner of Busch Boulevard and Florida Avenue. That’s what they do there, find jobs. So, that’s one of our associates and we can also help you, we can refer you to the person who can help you.
[00:17:15] [Angelito]: Where do these funds come from to help people with rent and mortgage?
[00:17:21] [Silvia Álvarez]: That comes from the federal government, it’s part of the new president’s program to help people that maybe, you know– Everyone, all of us have been affected by Covid, everyone and some people have to– The reason why we give them money is because something might had happened to them, or they lost their job because of Covid or maybe they had to pay for the funeral of a family member. Anything that happened to the person that made them be behind in payments. Maybe they had to pay the doctor or something, but reasons related to Covid, that’s the reason we can help you with. So, think about that.
[00:18:08] [Angelito]: What are the qualifications to enter this program?
[00:18:13] [Silvia Álvarez]: Well, you have to give many– Various documents. Let’s say, we have to see the lease of it, the contract with the landlord.
[00:18:24] [Angelito]: It’s very important to have the contract at hand.
[00:18:26] [Silvia Álvarez]: Oh, yeah, sure.
[00:18:28] [Angelito]: It’s not like “yeah, I’m renting the apartment to Pancho and I pay Pancho, but without a contract”. You need to have a contract in hand.
[00:18:38] [Silvia Álvarez]: This is a paperwork country, okay? [Laughter]
[00:18:42] [Angelito]: [Laughter]
[00:18:43] [Silvia Álvarez]: No, it’s not “I’ll tell you this and that’s it“, no, everything has to be proven and then also, if you don’t have an income, you have to sign “I don’t have any income right now“. So, we send the documents, but you have to do your part, give us proof of that too and of various things.
[00:19:04] [Angelito]: Of course. For the interested person, what’s the web page that they would have to enter? Because regarding calls, they’re too many calls for you to receive.
[00:19:12] [Silvia Álvarez]: It’s impossible.
[00:19:13] [Angelito]: Yeah, it’s impossible, of course.
[00:19:14] [Silvia Álvarez]: Impossible. So, what you do is you go to our website, which is www.heausa.org. There are going to be two red buttons. On the right-hand side, is for when you’re trying to buy a house, on the left-hand side are the documents you need to start the process. There are three different buttons there and when you go into the main big button, it’s going to say Hillsborough, Tampa city or Pasco county. okay? So, it’s very important to know where you live, because some think they live in Tampa, let’s say in Town n Country or if you go to Riverview, but that’s not the city of Tampa.
[00:20:04] [Angelito]: It’s not the city, exactly. The city already entails the area of the Tampa stadium, South Tampa, which has been part of the city. Brandon is not part of the city.
[00:20:17] [Silvia Álvarez]: No, it’s not part of the city. So, the people– Well, many people will say that in Carrollwood or Town n Country, it says Tampa. The address is Tampa, but it’s not the city of Tampa.
[00:20:28] [Angelito]: Sure, it’s county, it’s just that many people don’t understand that. For example, if they come from Puerto Rico, like me. They say “my town is Mayagüez”, but Mayagüez is huge and is part of the entire city, but when one arrives here, you have to understand what a county is and what a city is.
[00:20:45] [Silvia Álvarez]: Exactly
[00:20:46] [Angelito]: And a lot of people don’t understand that.
[00:20:48] [Silvia Álvarez]: No, no, they don’t get it and a lot of times also on the maps, they don’t get it completely right either. So, it’s difficult, that’s something that we can then look for.
[00:24:04] [Angelito]: Do you know how I’ve learned to know what the city limits are? The signs, the signs are blue, I think, that’s what I understand, but in the county they’re green.
[00:21:15] [Silvia Álvarez]: I ‘ve never known this.
[00:21:17] [Angelito]: You learned something new, see?
[00:21:18] [Silvia Álvarez]: Look, I learned something, see [Laughter]
[00:21:19] [Angelito]: [Laughter]
[00:21:23] [Angelito]: No, seriously.
[00:21:24] [Silvia Álvarez]: Now I’m going to see if it’s true.
[00:21:27] [Angelito]: That was the easiest way for me to learn what was the city limit and what was the county limit.
[00:21:35] [Silvia Álvarez]: As you may know, the different municipalities in the city and in Hillsborough, they’re the ones that put up those signs, so they most likely said “well, let’s do--”. “You gave me a great idea.”
[00:21:50] [Angelito]: [Laughter] That’s great. For the people, fast because we have about two minutes left. For people who want to buy their house, that are interested, you have to take a class first. Tell me about the class.
[00:22:01] [Silvia Álvarez]: Ok, the class is the first step. No one is going to talk to you or give you advice or anything, until you take the class and you can register for the class on the same web page as ours, but on the right-hand side, the red button on the right-hand side is the one you have to click and choose your class. Nobody, because we can’t, it’s impossible to talk to all the people who need information about that program. That in some areas you can receive, depending on your income, up to $100 thousand dollars. So, it’s a great opportunity and she had to raise all of that because house prices are going up and you can’t find anything under $300k.
[00:22:47] [Angelito]: Exactly, the smallest house is worth more than 300 dollars, of $300 thousand dollars I must say. Before you could get a house for $50 or $60 thousand dollars, with a good piece of land in the city, but not anymore, the properties have gone up. If you want to move to a property that has a yard or a big piece of land, you have to go to central Florida, where a Walmart store or something is at least 10 minutes or 15 minutes away, nearby.
[00:23:18] [Silvia Álvarez]: Nearby [Laughter]
[00:23:29] [Angelito]: But it’s tough, you know [Laughter] Or a lake [Laughter]
[00:23:23] [Silvia Álvarez]: Stop it, don’t. Things have gotten really tough now.
[00:23:28] [Angelito]: It’s just that many people have been moving to Florida from all states in the last 2 years.
[00:23:32] [Silvia Álvarez]: Well, if you look at the news and you see the snow that these people have to work with and many of those states also have more taxes, they have to pay more taxes.
[00:23:45] [Angelito]: Like the city of Nueva York or California.
[00:23:47] [Silvia Álvarez]: Exactly, so everything– I tell you, more than a thousand people a day come to the state of Florida, they move to Florida, more than a thousand people.
[00:23:58] [Angelito]: Wow awesome. I sometimes go to the supermarket and in recent months I’ve taken to looking at the license plates of the cars and saying “Wow, look, Philadelphia, Boston, New York”. There are a lot of people moving here to Florida.
[00:24:15] [Silvia Álvarez]: Sure, who wants to live in that snow and with that traffic and that kind of life? No, that’s why the values here in Florida, especially in Tampa– Tampa is the hottest area for home buying.
[00:24:35] [Angelito]: Of course. If you want to sell your house right now, you could sell it in less than two or three days.
[00:24:41] [Silvia Álvarez]: Sometimes in hours.
[00:24:42] [Angelito]: Exactly, very incredible. Silvia Álvarez, thank you for being with us, it’s been a pleasure. Once again, another Housing & Education Alliance program and we hope to see you here again with us.
[00:24:54] [Silvia Álvarez]: Okay, thank you very much Angelito, thank you very much for what you do for the community.
[00:24:59] [Angelito]: Your webpage?
[00:25:01] [Silvia Álvarez]: www.heausa.org
[00:25:10] [Angelito]: Thanks again Silvia and this was “Route to the American Dream.” Thanks also to Car Credit, Tampa Bay Network To End Hunger, NUEVOenUS.org, Housing & Education Alliance, Gulfcoast Legal Service and thank you very much Silvia, until next time.
[00:25:24] [Silvia Álvarez]: Thank you Angelito.
[00:25:25] [Music] Car Credit, Car Credit, your car has come into your life. Car Credit, Car Credit.
[00:25:40] [Angelito]: Visit CarCreditTampa.com. You’ve listened to “Road to the American Dream”, presented by NUEVOenUS.org, a program to help people who are new to the United States of America, to move forward and get on the road to the American dream. END