The Miami Master Brokers Forum, a network of the area’s top real estate professionals, recently joined forces with Presidente Supermarkets, United Way of Miami-Dade, and the Andres Asion Foundation to provide $10,000 in free groceries to food-insecure local families.
Through the “MBF Cares” campaign, individual Master Brokers donated a total of $5,000, which was matched in-kind with groceries from Presidente. United Way then identified 100 families enrolled in its Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership program at two partner agencies (the Family Christian Association of America in north Miami and the Centro Campesino Farmworker Center in Homestead), who were selected to receive the groceries.
The MBF Cares campaign was inspired by MBF board member Andres Asion, who received international media attention in April for surprising disadvantaged shoppers at a local Presidente supermarket by purchasing their groceries at the register. After receiving an outpouring of donations from friends, family, colleagues, and strangers who learned the news, he enlisted his foundation and connections at Presidente to match those donations in-kind and gather additional free groceries for his food-insecure neighbors.
On Friday, December 11, Presidente trucks delivered pallets of groceries to the two locations, where volunteers assembled and distributed grocery parcels valued at more than $100 to the 100 deserving families. Each family received an assortment of rice and beans; pastas and sauces; cereals and cookies; canned meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables; baking goods and seasonings; and household essentials such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and toothpaste.
“While the pandemic has hurt our economy and forced food dependence upon thousands of our neighbors, the local real estate market has actually done quite well this year,” said Asion in a press release. “I am so proud of my MBF colleagues for recognizing this disparity and stepping up to help our struggling neighbors. Presidente Supermarkets and United Way have been extraordinary partners in this effort, and we are incredibly grateful for their generosity and support.”