Latino Involvement in Hunger Relief Programs in the Southwest

Gustavo De La Fuente was born and raised in the small rural town of San Benito, Texas. He is a recent graduate of Texas A&M University-San Antonio, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Criminology. During his journey at A&M-SA, Gustavo has interned for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, worked as a Student Assistant for the University President, Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson, was the Speaker of the Senate for his Student Government Association, served as a HACU ¡Adelanté! Leader-In-Residence Scholar and is currently a 2nd Lieutenant for the Texas Army National Guard. Gustavo is particularly very passionate about creating more equitable opportunities for the LatinX and other underrepresented minority communities. As a Zero Hunger Intern, Gustavo has been placed with the California Association of Food Banks and hopes to learn more about how policy-based solutions can be implemented in assisting families suffering from food insecurity.

Becca Hengtes and grew up in Houston, Texas, and recently graduated from the University of Houston with a B.S. in Political Science with minors in Phronesis and Russian Studies and a B.A. in History with a minor in Economics. As an undergraduate, Becca participated in the Bonner Leaders chapter at her university. Through this program, she was able to fight hunger in her local community and begin building a foundation for understanding hunger in the United States. In the Fall, Becca will begin pursuing a Masters in Public Policy at Georgetown University. She hopes to use her skills and experiences to build effective programs for combatting food and nutrition security in the United States. By interning at the Congressional Hunger Center for the Leland International Hunger Fellowship, Becca hopes to diversify her hunger knowledge. While she hopes to work in domestic hunger policy, understanding international hunger is essential to developing a strong foundation to combat hunger in local communities.

Lucas Tapia was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona, and now attends Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He is majoring in Industrial and Labor Relations and planning on a double minor in Philosophy and Law and Society. Lucas is a section leader in the Big Red Marching Band, an employee for Cornell Dining, an Orientation Supervisor and a Traditions Fellowship recipient. Lucas is interested in non-profit work and has spent a lot of his life volunteering to help his community. This summer Lucas is most looking forward to learning about the policy side of anti-hunger work. He is working at the United Food Bank as a Community Development Intern.