A Hero in the Pandemic Who Lives with Autism Fed in Two Months 105 Disabled Families and Mailed over $8200 in Grocery Cards

Disabled communities in Massachusetts affected by Covid-19 cannot wait in food bank lines.

WEST ROXBURY, MA / ACCESSWIRE / June 29, 2020 / Esteban Barriga, 24 who attends the Barry Price Center in Newton and is the Co-Founder of Autism Geniuses of the World, AGW, with the support of his mother Maribel Rueda, launched a supermarket card donation campaign called “AGW Food Drive” to help feed Massachusetts disabled communities affected by COVID-19, who could not stand in a food bank line.

“That’s why we decided to start collecting $25 grocery cards from local supermarkets to mail to families who have a disabled person at home,” Esteban said while stressing that many of them need a special diet of fruits, vegetables, and proteins that they must buy at the market.

Families from all around Massachusetts received $25, $50, or $100 Stop & Shop grocery cards that were personally mailed by Esteban with a note, 46 went to families referred by the COVID-19 Information Center, eight to the Mozart Public School of Boston, coordinated by nurse Lucy, 21 to the Department of Public Health in Tewksbury, coordinated by Maribel Goglas, 30 to local food banks and community outreach referrals.

Stop & Shop cards, Start Market, Market Basket, or other local supermarket cards were mailed to Esteban’s home address; Individuals donated via a Facebook fundraiser page, Cash App account and Sponsor donations.

Maribel Rueda says, “We were on a mission to feed as many disabled families as we could. In return, we received touching messages and videos from all the families who received the grocery cards.”

“I just got Esteban’s letter and card, to most people it may mean nothing but to me, it brightens up my day. We can now buy food for a month” wrote a mother from Cambridge Massachusetts.

Esteban and Maribel want to publicly acknowledge the community and sponsors who generously donated. The Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts and its board members, South Carolina Photographer, Marilyn Olivero of Paisa Photography, their family and friends. “Everyone’s commitment to support Esteban’s mission and help our disable communities made it a reality,” said Maribel.

According to Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts has over 108,667 COVID- 19 diagnosed cases and 8,060 deaths.

CONTACT:

Maribel Rueda
978-908-8900
maribel.rueda2020@outlook.com

SOURCE: Autism Geniuses of the World

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