Hermano donates more than 125 turkeys to East Harlem families

Hermano Zhamyr "Sammy” Cueva donates
more than 125 turkeys to East Harlem families

---

East Harlem, NY — November, 2009

No Thanksgiving? Not this year. In East Harlem many families never get to celebrate Thanksgiving. For Sammy Cueva "It wasn’t until I was 12 years old that I saw my first Thanksgiving.” All that changed for more than 125 East Harlem families. On Saturday, November 21st East Harlem Tutorial Program (EHTP) gave Thanksgiving to more than 125 of its families in the form of 15 lb. turkeys. The turkeys, generously donated by Hermano Zhamyr "Sammy” Cueva and New York based SouLatino.com, a national event promoter, made Thanksgiving possible at a time when dollars are particularly short for families.

This donation comes at a particularly crucial time of the year. Over one million New Yorkers live in food insecure households, and the strain on city soup kitchens and food pantries peaks during the holiday season. "I have seen families in East Harlem struggle on a day to day basis and the holidays are frequently the toughest time,” says Hermano Carlos Velazquez, Director of School Programs at EHTP. "East Harlem Tutorial Program has been there for it’s students and families for more than 50 years and with 1 in 5 children in New York City being fed through a soup kitchen or food pantry, our staff jumped at the chance to help families in yet another way.”

The National Leadership commends Hermano Sammy Cueva for his extreme generosity during
this holiday season. In living up to the goals of our brotherhood Hermano Sammy has shown that even in difficult times it is possible to give back to those less fortunate than us. Hermano Sammy Cuevas is a brother of Theta chapter (Syracuse University), initiated in the Spring of 1991.

EHTP annually serves 500 students, ages 5-19 (grades K-12), and their families year round through innovative and comprehensive academic and social enhancing activities, including, reading, math, Robotics one-to-one tutoring, arts, Family Literacy classes, and social counseling. Together these programs make on-time high school graduation and college a reality. Last spring, 100% of EHTP’s seniors graduated on time and were accepted to a four year college.

For more information on EHTP: http://www.ehtp.org

###

---

Since its inception in 1982, La Unidad Latina has remained on the vanguard of political and community empowerment by developing influential leaders that strive to exert knowledge and power into its peers in order to attain mutual success. We commit ourselves to academic excellence, leadership development and cultural enlightenment, enhanced by a diverse cognizant membership. La Hermandad strives to preserve and promote an inclusive intellectual environment for its members, in addition to the general community.