Queen Sofía Spanish Institute (QSSI), a nonprofit focused on culture and history of the Spanish speaking world, made a series of donations to educational and religious institutions in the Bronx this year.
One of the recipients was the Santa Rita de Cascia Parish, 448 College Ave., in the south Bronx, which was able to help low-income families with weekly distributions of food, personal care items and sanitary products.
“Initially, we were focusing our efforts to help families within our church congregation,” said Parish Priest Pablo González. “This quickly changed as word spread, and people from across the Bronx started reaching out for any help that we could provide. We’re grateful for the support from organizations such as the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute which allows us to lend a helping hand to as many of our neighbors and fellow community members as possible.”
Relief was also provided to educational institutions to increase access to remote learning.
The Brilla Public Charter Schools, a system of K-8 schools across the Bronx, used the donation to help provide internet connection and computers for students.
QSSI partnered with Spanish author and journalist Guillermo Fesser to host a series of virtual presentations on his book “Get to Know Bernardo de Gálvez” for third and fourth graders in the Brilla College Prep and Brilla Veritas schools. Students learned of the Hispanic hero’s many contributions to the United States during the Revolutionary War and received a free copy of the book.
“As a New York-based organization committed to advancing cultural appreciation of the Spanish-speaking world, we recognize the importance of collective support in our diverse communities, especially during these challenging times,” said Patrice Degnan Erquicia, executive director of the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute. “It’s in times like these that the QSSI must demonstrate a social responsibility to help our most vulnerable neighbors. This donation is unprecedented for a cultural institute like ours, but we see that now more than ever, every donation helps.”
