Miami, FL – By 9:30 a.m. on Friday, April 9th, cars were already lining up around the block to get food boxes and information at the Marriage Matters Drive-Thru Community Fair and Food Distribution Event at the South Dade YMCA.
More than 350 boxes of fresh groceries were given to needy families from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the YMCA, 9355 SW 134th St, Miami, FL 33176. The event organizer, the Marriage Matters program, is one of the newest programs at Be Strong International (BSI). Marriage Matters is designed to encourage and educate married couples, while enabling them, at every stage, to build and sustain a healthy marriage.
With the help of sponsors and volunteers, BSI not only distributed boxes of fresh food, they also were able to give out free books for children and share information about programs or resources from partners such as Survivors Pathway and Kristi House. “We’re all extremely thankful for BSI continuing to give back to our community by hosting another wonderful event,” says Danielle Cohen Higgin, Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 8. “We are on the mend, but the need is still great.”
Marriage Matters is seeking couples over the age of 18 that qualify, regardless of race, gender, age, disability, orientation or, religion. The program follows an evidence-based curriculum that has been working for over 40 years.
“Couples may have strained relationships due to job loss, kids at home, and fear about COVID-19,” says Oscar Diaz of BSI’s Marriage Matters Program. “This pandemic is presenting them with challenges they’ve never faced before, and it is easy to get overwhelmed by the constant negativity going on around them. That is why what we have done today is so incredibly important. Spreading positivity and optimism in a time where it’s most needed.”
Partners and donors that made this all possible include Florida state representatives Kevin Chambliss and Vance Aloupis, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Programs, Univision Contigo, the YMCA, Farm Share, Shake Shack. and Miami Dade County.
For more information about Be Strong International or Marriage Matters, please visit bestrongintl.org or call (305) 969-7829. For inquiries about this event or to arrange an interview, contact Nicholas Fernandez at nicholas@bestrongintl.org.
