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Fiesta founder outlines food, resource and education programs serving Florence’s growing Hispanic community
Summary
Teresa Cruz, founder and CEO of Fiesta of Northern Kentucky, told Florence City Council the grassroots nonprofit provides culturally relevant food, resource navigation and education and reported serving more than 1,197 families in its first year; she asked the community to support a Sept. 19 fundraiser.
Teresa Cruz, founder and CEO of Fiesta of Northern Kentucky, told the Florence City Council that the grassroots nonprofit opened Jan. 3, 2024, and now serves the Hispanic community across Northern Kentucky from a base in Florence.
"I'm the founder and CEO of Fiesta," Cruz said, describing the group's three initiatives: food distribution, resource coordination and education and outreach. She said Fiesta operates an "emergency food pantry" and a monthly, culturally relevant distribution that supplies food items familiar to the families served.
Cruz gave the council a snapshot of Fiesta’s first-year reach: 1,197 families served through the monthly Latino food distribution, 1,438 people impacted by outreach events, 371 attendees at a community resource fair and 3,805 total people served in 2024. She said the monthly distribution has grown from about 65 families last year to a cap of 210 families per month this year.
Cruz also described workforce, education and mental-health efforts. After surveying 144 clients, she said language barriers were the biggest barrier to employment; Fiesta partnered with Gateway Community and Technical College to begin ESL classes on Sept. 3 at Fiesta’s Florence location. She said Fiesta helped secure eight jobs last month at L'Oréal and plans to start a mental-health initiative in September.
Cruz asked for volunteers and donations and promoted Fiesta’s first fundraiser, Fiesta at the Plate, scheduled for Sept. 19, 2025. She gave location and contact details: the group operates at 7536 US Highway 42, Suite 8 in Florence and posts information at fiestanky.org.
Council members asked for clarification on volunteer involvement and distribution logistics; Cruz said roughly 75% of Fiesta’s volunteers are families that the organization serves and described the last-Friday-of-the-month packing and distribution routine. The council thanked Cruz for the presentation; no formal action was taken.
Cruz closed by emphasizing the organization’s ties to Florence and its role as a community hub for Hispanic residents.
