Last week, MAAC, an organization very similar to The Unity Council located in San Diego, visited our headquarters to learn more about our programs and services. During their visit, The Unity Council’s Executive Staff shared strategies for fundraising, program integration, and board development.
After a delicious and informative power lunch at Obelisco Restaurant; The Unity Council’s CEO, Chris Iglesias gave the group a tour of the Fruitvale Transit Village and the construction site of Casa Arabella. Iglesias shared the history of the Village and gave the group some insight about the funding process for affordable housing projects in the Bay Area.
MAAC’s tour was followed by an open panel with The City of Oakland’s Mayor Libby Schaaf at the Fruitvale-San Antonio Senior Center where members of both organizations got to talk to the Mayor about the importance of partnerships between local government and anchoring organizations.
At the end of their visit, MAAC was part of a Partner’s Reception with representatives from La Clínica de la Raza, Centro Legal, MEDA, and EBALDC. During the reception leaders from each organization answered questions about their roles to protect the communities they serve from current immigration policies and gentrification. Everyone in the room agreed that creating safe spaces and working together to spread information on legal resources is essential to better serve and protect the communities we serve.
MAAC’s visit was an opportunity for us and them to learn better ways to increase our impact in the community. It was also an invitation for The Unity Council and its partners to brainstorm strategies to protect vulnerable communities from discriminatory policies.
About MAAC
A tradition of serving the community. MAAC was founded upon a vision to provide a place where local families in need could find the means to self-sufficiency.
Together, members from the San Diego Chapter of the GI Forum, Hermandad Mexicana, Laborer’s Local #89, Association of Mexican-American Educators, and the Council of Latin American Clubs, along with other leaders of San Diego’s Mexican American community turned their vision into reality and founded the Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee on Anti-Poverty.
Today, hunger and poverty continue to be crises in our communities. Demands of daily life and unexpected events can easily push families below the poverty level. And our nation’s current economic crisis has deeply affected even more families, creating a new face of poverty in our communities. For generations, MAAC has responded to these challenges by evolving its programs to meet the needs of the community. Our work is made possible by some factors: a strong commitment to those whom we serve, dedicated staff, compassionate volunteers, the creativity to deliver services matching needs in times of scarce resources, and donors who recognize the essential value of MAAC’s service to our community.
