Uncertainty in employment and daily living, including food, has caused a great amount of stress on relationships, particularly marriages, during the pandemic. In response, Strong International’s new Marriage Matters program will host a Drive-Thru Community Fair and Food Distribution next month.
The event will take place on Friday, August 9, 2020, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. at the South Dade YMCA, 9355 SW 134th St, Miami, FL 33176. The program is seeking to provide some food relief and register interested couples for its eight-week program.
“COVID-19 has strained too many relationships,” says Celida Hernandez, Be Strong’s community outreach liaison. “That is why Be Strong International wants help our community through these tough times, especially the couples within our most vulnerable population in Miami-Dade County.”
During the fair people can get not only a box of food provided by Farm Share, but they can also get free books for their kids provided by The Children’s Trust and much more. Due to COVID-19 CDC recommendations, all attendees are asked to wear masks and remain in their cars until a volunteer approaches. Those interested in attending, can register at https://bestrongintl.org/fooddrive while slots are still available.
The Marriage Matters program is designed to encourage and educate couples in the areas of relationship strengthening, communication, problem solving, stress and anger management, intimacy, parenting, and financial literacy using the MERS PREP 8.0 and evidence-base curriculum. Their goal is to enable married couples, at every stage, to build and sustain a healthy marriage. Interested couples can visit the website to learn more about the program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Human Services.
“In a time where marriages are declining and divorces increasing, it is important that our community knows of the resources they have available that will aid them in keeping their relationships alive and healthy” said, Rosa Lopez, Program Manager for Marriage Matters. “We are excited to have the opportunity to be able to give back to our community, while being able to spread information and bring awareness to the importance of a truly healthy union.”
Partners and donors that made this all possible include Florida state representatives Kevin Chambliss and Vance Aloupis, the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Programs, Univision Contigo, the YMCA, Farm Share, Miami Dade County, Florida Blue, Shake Shack, Bank OZK, Kristi House, Survivor’s Pathway, the Mexican Consulate, UniMas, Amor 107.5, Radio Mambi, Mix 98.3, and WQBA 1140 AM.
