Impact Stories
Donor Spotlight
Caps, Gowns, and Gratitude: How AltaMed Helped Jason's Family Celebrate His Graduation
Through the Community Care Fund's micro-grant program, AltaMed stepped in to help Jason's family overcome food insecurity, ensuring nothing stood in the way of celebrating his middle school graduation milestone with dignity and joy.
37M
People in the U.S. face food insecurity
Jason is a patient of Norma Perez, M.D., at AltaMed Medical Group's Huntington Park Rugby clinic. In many respects, Jason resembles most 14-year-old adolescents—he cherishes his family, applies himself academically, and eagerly anticipates completing eighth grade this year. Nevertheless, the middle schooler confronts circumstances that most American teenagers cannot fathom.
Jason's mother has dealt with persistent health challenges that have compromised her capacity to maintain employment. Lacking paid sick leave, their household income has dropped substantially, resulting in food insecurity—the absence of dependable access to adequate nutritious food. Beyond 37 million inhabitants across the nation encounter this hardship.
Worried about his family’s food supply, Jason started eating smaller portions at meal times to ensure there was enough food to go around. Hearing this, Dr. Perez was concerned; nobody should go hungry, but especially not a growing teenager. At Jason’s age, getting enough nutrients is crucial to his physical and brain development. Dr. Perez nominated his family to receive a micro-grant from the Community Care Fund.
Thanks to the generosity of our employee donors, we were able to provide Jason’s family with $300 to help cover the cost of groceries. This support also allowed Jason to participate in school events celebrating his middle school graduation. A member of the AltaMed Gives committee was so moved by Jason’s story that she contributed, allowing us to surprise him with some small gifts to make his graduation even more special.
Congratulations to Jason and his graduating class!
