TIJUANA, Baja California — Every day more than 3,000 meals are sent across Tijuana to shelters, like Movimiento Juventud – where people can wait up to nine months for asylum. For the hundreds of families who call these shelters home, Tijuana Sin Hambre is making sure they don’t have to worry about their next meal.
“The poverty we see here is so extreme,” said Verónica Alvardo, the chef for Tijuana Sin Hambre. “And I’m a living example of that poverty.”
A few years ago, during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Verónica faced tragedy.
Her family was living in extreme poverty, and her father died because of a lack of access to basic necessities like food and medicine.
“I hope that no one suffers because of food, because it’s so sad to lose someone due to hunger,” Verónica said.
Days after her father’s death, she learned of Tijuana Sin Hambre – a non-profit whose mission is to save lives by eliminating hunger. She also met the group’s founder, Maru Riqué.
“A hot meal is not just a plate of food, it’s a plate of hope,” Maru said.
Maru supported Verónica through that difficult period of life, and now Verónica is giving back by running the non-profit's kitchen.
“This is my passion – what I do here is my passion,” Verónica said.
Verónica plays a key role in helping the non-profit make over one million meals a year.
“There’s no better example of how effective this kitchen is, than the chef in the kitchen – Chef Vero, or ‘Chef de Los Migrantes,’” said Yolanda Walther-Meade, co-founder of This Is About Humanity, a group dedicated to supporting vulnerable communities on both sides of the border.
Yolanda says she helps fund Tijuana Sin Hambre because she recognizes the lack of resources available in Tijuana.
“The budget for San Diego County is eight billion dollars, and for Tijuana it’s under $500 million – and we’re working with the same population approximately on both sides of the border,” Yolanda said.
A 2020 report by the Mexican government says nearly 40,000 people live in extreme poverty in Tijuana.
Half of them also face extreme food insecurity – many are migrants who spend months waiting for asylum.
“Those families arrive here with all their lives in a backpack, and with sore feet from so much walking,” Maru said.
The non-profit is also supported by volunteers like Javier Plascencia, a Michelin-starred chef known as “The Soul of Baja.”
“I know what it is to be hungry and to go through a day or several days without having anything in your stomach,” Javier said. “I wish I could do this every day… it’s good to give back.”
Javier added that Tijuana’s food insecurity problem isn’t going away anytime soon, and that’s why people like Chef Verónica are so valuable.
“She’s an amazing human being, and when I see her smile that just makes my day,” Javier said.
Verónica says the most rewarding thing for her is when she visits the shelters to meet the people she feeds because she was once in their shoes.
“What a beautiful way to help, all this fills my soul with love,” Verónica said. “It fills my soul with love.”
For more information on how you can support Tijuana Sin Hambre, you can visit their website https://fundaciontijuanasinhambre.org/.