Food for the Soul: LGBTQ Soup Kitchen & Center

Manos Amigues is the first LGBTQ Soup Kitchen and Cultural Center in Mexico City, serving 5,000 meals each month and impacting the lives of thousands at the intersection of art and activism.

All donations will be matched up to $10,000 through September 30, 2022!!!

All donations are tax-deductible.

Mexico City is the largest city in the western hemisphere and yet, unlike many other major cities, it lacks a functional LGBTQ Community Center. In this void of social services, Manos Amigues LGBTQ+ Soup Kitchen and Cultural Center was born on July 23, 2021.

LGBTQ people in Mexico face discrimination in nearly every facet of their lives: the church, the family, education, employment, housing and healthcare. According to COPRED, a Mexican governmental agency, LGBTQ suicide rates are more than 20 times those of the general population and Mexico is second in number of hate crimes against LGBTQ people in Latin America. The life expectancy of a trans person in Mexico is just 37 years.

Manos Amigues addresses this marginalization by serving 5,000 hot meals each month, 250 per day every Monday through Friday. Our cultural programming provides food for the soul, an important ingredient that makes us unique from other social service providers. Each week our cultural center presents a variety of live music, theater, poetry, dance, DJ’s, workshops, classes and film while our curated art gallery showcases the work of a variety of new artists each month, bringing people together in an atmosphere of community and creativity.

Although our programs are run primarily by members of the LGBTQ community, our services are available to everyone regardless of sexual or gender identity. Our programming is a bridge between the LGBTQ community and the wider community, which has proved essential in the fight against transphobia and homophobia and has provided a safe space for members of the LGBTQ community to eat and work without fear of discrimination.

“I have an 85-year old neighbor who can’t leave her house,” says José Guzman, “I’m 78. I come to eat with my family and so I bring her a meal from here every day so that she has something to eat. I’m so thankful for this place. There are beautiful people here doing these things without expecting anything in return.”

Manos Amigues’ monthly art exhibits are coordinated by Antonio Zaragoza, a 36-year-old curator and artist who has been with the project since its inception. He knows what it’s like to be hungry in Mexico City: He moved there eight years ago to partake in its vibrant artist communities but has since struggled with the menacing cost of rent and food in the city. During one brutal year, he slept in rundown hotels and ate at soup kitchens, where workers belittled him with homophobic and classist remarks. Years later, he is exhibiting work internationally while dedicating time to ensuring Manos Amigues thrives as a cultural space that uplifts young, marginalized artists from the LGBTQ community.

Food assistance is the first step toward empowering vulnerable populations to succeed in other aspects of their life. Combining food assistance with cultural programming provides the hope and inspiration necessary to meet those goals.

The goal of this campaign is to raise US$10,000 to keep Manos Amigues thriving in its second year and to weather the rising inflation that has threatened our ability to provide these services.

All donations will be matched up to $10,000 through September 30 and are tax-deductible.*

The US dollar goes a long way in Mexico. A matched $10,000 will:

1) provide a living wage for one year for our team, which plans, prepares and serves 5,000 meals each month;

2) offset the rising cost of food due to recent inflation;

3) offset the cost of rent which has risen due to inflation;

4) maintain our cultural programming free of charge so that it is accessible to folks with no money and to LGBTQ youth who have benefitted so much from these programs during our first year.

The love you show here with your donation will multiply over time and provide a lifeline of hope for so many.

Thank you!

* Donations are tax-deductible via the nonprofit 501(c)(3) Americas Unite Inc. (EIN 85-2941418)