HOMIES Empowerment staff take annual learning journeys to help broaden our lens on solidarity and support and be allies to our communities across differences. In 2021, HE took a trip to El Salvador and Guatemala. We met some amazing leaders and mentors as we experienced the land and the indigenous peoples. Here are some of the photos of that trip. Enjoy. 

An amazing day for building planter-boxes for the Freedom Farm Garden!
​Thanks to our community for coming out, for our partners for their guidance and support and the land and soil for taking in our presence!

The Love Packages program has a new team member. It's our very own Don Mau! 

We asked Don Mau: "Why do you think the Love Packages program is important?" / "¿Por qué crees que es importante el programa 'Love Packages'?".

​“Love Packages is important for all those people who are in some way disabled and / or can't help themselves to get to our #freedomstore for their food and that's why love packages were created to give relief to these people and show them our love through the food boxes and thus take care of our most vulnerable community members”

“Love Packages es importante para todas aquellas personas que están de alguna manera discapacitadas y/o no pueden evitar llegar a nuestra #freedomstore por sus alimentos y es por eso que se crearon love packages para brindar alivio a estas personas y mostrarles nuestro amor. a través de las cajas de alimentos y así cuidar a los miembros más vulnerables de nuestra comunidad”
~ Don Mauricio, Homies Empowerment ~ Love Packages program

Here is Don Mau and our young leader, Jose posing  in front of our refrigerated van donated by Steph Curry and the Eat Learn Play Foundation so we can use it to deliver food to our community. Thank you to Don Mau, Angelica and Jose for taking care of our relatives at home. 

Following the legacy of our elders in the Black Panther Party in Oakland in the late 60's where community rallied together to make sure brown and black youth from Oakland gets breakfast so they may perform better in school with other students that comes from move privileged communities.