Hispanic Heritage Month 2026: Meet Our Team

During National Hispanic Heritage Month, Food For The Poor is proud to spotlight team members of Hispanic descent who share our mission to help people living in extreme poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean. Each week, we’ll highlight a different member who will share their story.

From Data to a Deeper Purpose: Monica Ortiz Moreno Finds Fulfillment in the Mission

Growing up in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Monica Ortiz Moreno knew poverty existed in her country.

Since she was a child, Monica has often joined her mother to collect school supplies and clothing and deliver them to children’s homes. As an adult, she’s also volunteered at Hospital Escuela and brought diapers, clothes and food to mothers who had just given birth – many of them teenagers with other children waiting at home. She frequently sees children and families seeking help on the streets.

Still, it wasn’t until she began working with Food For The Poor in January 2024 that she began to grasp the depth of the poverty that grips her country. Monica works remotely in Tegucigalpa, a four-hour drive from Food For The Poor’s Honduras office in San Pedro Sula. Her job requires collecting and analyzing data to support direct mail campaigns – ensuring that the right people receive the appropriate message based on their level and frequency of support.

Food For The Poor’s fundraising campaigns often include stories of the children and families that the charity helps in Latin America and the Caribbean. Monica found one story, about a 7-year-old named Justin, especially touching.

After his father was killed in a motorcycle accident, Justin stepped into the void, quitting school and going to work to earn money to help his mother and their family. Seeing Justin’s face in a campaign photo and later learning his story in depth from a colleague who met him personally made an impact.

“She told me that his face is not like a child. He feels like he is the man of the house, that he needs to be in charge of his family, and he’s only 7 years old,” she said. “I already knew about the poverty in my country, but now, I have the face of Justin, and I can associate it with a family that needs help. It feels more personal.”

Before joining Food For The Poor, Monica already had a successful career in technology. She previously worked as a data specialist in the banking industry, a software architect, and most recently as a quality assurance analyst for a company that distributes educational software.

Searching for a new position as a data analyst, she found her sweet spot when she saw a Food For The Poor job posting on LinkedIn.

“I loved the idea of having a job with a greater purpose, knowing that what I do will contribute to helping others,” she said. “And it became even more meaningful when I realized that Honduras was one of the countries that Food For The Poor serves.”

Like many at Food For The Poor, Monica sees her work as more than a job.

“I always describe this as being able to see God’s hands through the generosity of others,” she said. “Every donation represents someone choosing to make a difference in another person’s life.”

Even though her work is behind the scenes, Monica appreciates “Together We are More/Juntos Somos Más,” Food For The Poor’s theme this year for Hispanic Heritage Month.

“Sometimes, we as individuals feel like what we do is small,” she said. “But what each of us does becomes something much bigger when we work together.”