damian trujillo: hello and welcome to comunidad del valle. i'm damian trujillo. we hope you're enjoying your 4th of july weekend. today, "feeding the hungry during the summer," on your comunidad del valle. ♪♪♪ damian: we begin today with the monthly visit of the consulate of mexico in san jose. with me is consul general of mexico in san jose, la consul alejandra bologna. consul, welcome back to comunidad del valle. alejandra bologna: thank you so much, damian. i'm pleased to be here today in your program. damian: thank you. we always enjoy having you. well, there's a lot of things going on in the consulate, like there always is, but one is for kids. tell us what you have special for kids in the coming days.

alejandra: yes, well, first of all, i want to congratulate americans in this 4th of july, independence day. and have a safe celebration for all of them. yes, of course, we have some special programs for kids. and in this case of this year, we have the contest draw. it's a special contest for infants--for kids from 6 years old until 14 years old, and they make a special draw. we have some subjects that they have to draw, and they can send us, and then there is a big contest around the world, kids from all around the world, and the winners are included in a calendar. and i will show how it looks like the draws that in other editions. kids from all the world have been done.

so, this is an invitation, in this case, this year. we will celebrate, as you know, 200 years of the end of our independence day. so, the subject that will be for the draws is the independence of mexico. so, each kid doesn't need to be mexican. it doesn't matter the citizen, the nationality. we accept all kinds of pictures, but are going to be focused on the mexican independence day. they can look on wikipedia or any other source or also at the consulate facebook page. what does independence means, the mexican independence day? and then try to, with their imagination, create some

beautiful draws and be part of this interesting contest. and the winners, they get in a calendar their draws, but also they get some prizes, as a a computer or other kind of prizes that are really attractive for kids. and i'm really glad to promote these, because it's a way to unite kids from all the world regarding what mexico represents or how mexico is viewed from other kids, for kids around the world in these days in the area of san jose and the counties that we serve. so, people that will be interested, they can contact the different rules for participations are in the website of the consulate mexico, san jose, consulmex.sre.gob.mx/sanjose,

and they can send to our email their draws. it's consjose@sre.gob--b with a boy, as b as boy--.mx. damian: and, as well, this is a great--it's a drawing contest for anyone, any children 6 to 14 years old to see what mexican independence day or the independence of mexico means to them. so, it's great. it's a very colorful calendar. any other thing that you want to point out at the consul? we have a short segment with you today. anything else you want to point out? alejandra: well, inviting everyone. whatever they need from us, from the consulate, we are almost open. we are working at the 100% for capacity. we still are requesting the using of face masks here inside the consulate.

it's for the security, because we are not requesting who is vaccinated or not. it's just because we are serving a lot of people at the same time. but just let them know that we are 100% open. just to say because we know that we have seen how difficult has been the process for getting their appointments, or there's misundererstanding, thinking that we are not working hard. i just going to let you know one statistic that we had that in 2019, in the first 5 months of the year, we used about 12,000 passports. now, in the same period, we have been used almost, yes, 14,000 passports. so, we are doing, we are using more passports than in the past.

so, we are trying to serve 100% as a locomotora to help our community to get their documents -- damian: that is a huge job. it means that you're working a lot more than you were when the pandemic wasn't here. consul, thank you so much for being on our show, once again. and if you'd like to participate in this drawing for your children, it's what independence of mexico means to them. you can find that on the website for the consulate. thank you so much. alejandra: thank you. damian: thank you very much. let's show you that information for the consulado general de méxico here in san jose. there's a website where you can get more information and find out more about this drawing contest for children, on what the independence of mexico means to them on this american independence day. we'll be back and talk about the need to feed the needy here on comunidad del valle. stay with us. ♪♪♪

damian: the need is great, even during the summer.

with me from the second harvest food bank is blanca garza back on the show. laquita, welcome back. blanca garza: hey my friend, how are you? you know, it's always great to be here with you, right? damian: yeah, well, thank you. blanca: you know you're my favorite. damian: thank you. you are the best, and we miss you, blanca. blanca: i miss you, too, my friend. it's always such a pleasure to be with you and share the good news of second harvest and how we are doing. and let me tell you, we are still seeing high levels of need, around half a million people a month, and we expect that to continue, as people get back on their feet. and even with more and more people vaccinated, and life gets back to normal for many of us, the fallout of the pandemic continues for many people in our community, and that's why we want to encourage you and invite you to come and get the gift of nutritious food in any of our sites in the county of santa clara in san mateo.

damian: and blanca, you were saying people are getting back on their feet, because, you know, we're ending this pandemic, but a lot of people would not be able to be on their feet if it wasn't for second harvest and what you've been able to do. blanca: it's true, it's true what you say, but we are so grateful that people got in their cars or grabbed their carts and went to one of our sites and, you know, about our service that we've been providing for so, so many years, for decades. but now with this pandemic, a lot of people just, you know, started asking people around, people telling them, you know, second harvest is here. and we expanded our services, too, our efforts. because before, it was around 70 sites, and now we're around 150 in both counties, in san mateo and santa clara, churches, high schools, senior centers. we go everywhere and we made it very efficient, we just ask people to pop your trunk, we put all the food in there, boxes of, you know, everything that you need, fruits, vegetables,

protein, eggs, and milk, and everything that your family is gonna need we provide for one family, two, three, four families, as many food as you need. we'll pack your car up. and so, and that's what we were doing. now there's a few sites that were slowly integrating again our market style, a farmer's market style where they go and pick their own bread, and vegetables, and different foods. so, we're happy about that, and we just couldn't be more excited about seeing our clients be happy and thriving. a lot of them are getting back to work, but still coming to us because we want to encourage people that want to save some money, to pay for their car, for their bills, for school, college kids, to come and save that money with us. you don't have to spend, you know, the $500, $400, $300 a month on groceries, if you want to come to us.

we will definitely give you this gift of nutritious food for your entire family for as long as you need it. damian: you know, just last week, driving down white road in san jose, and i'm driving through mount pleasant high school, and i see this long line of cars, and i say, "what's going on? is there a football game or a basketball game, or what's going on? why is there?" no, it's because there was food distribution there, and the long line was just--it was sad, it was sad to see; but at the same time, it was nice to see, because there's somewhere they can go for help. blanca: exactly, that's my point. we want people to feel--because they will get the food that they need. even, you know, and even if they are sick, if they're older, they can't come out their house, we can give, you know, go to your home and deliver it to your house, as well. damian: wow, that's--and--pay for their internet. we're having a couple of internet issues here at

comunidad del valle. but save your internet money, instead of not paying internet to buy food, go to second harvest. you can obtain that there. let's show you some information. again, this is a summer drive because this is not seasonal anymore. this is a year-round need for second harvest food bank. if you'd like to either make a donation or if you need, are in need of some help, there is a web address for more information. it's their summer campaign. we'll be back here on comunidad del valle. stay with us. ♪♪♪

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an: we're back here on comunidad del valle with blanca garza of the second harvest food bank. the message is two-pronged today, i think, blanca; and one is, if you need the help, second harvest is there to help, no matter when it is; and the second one is, if you can donate, they'll take your donations because more people need the help. they need to provide more services.

blanca: for sure, for sure, because the need is so high we have had to make a very difficult decision to continue, not to accept food donations from individuals. we absolutely need the public support, though, in the form of financial donations. we can stretch their dollar. for every one dollar, we can provide two meals. individual food donations require a lot of extra work in processing and transporting and sorting the food, and we simply don't have the resources and the time right now to do that. and so we find that we need to be as efficient as possible, and that's why financial donations right now are the best way to go. damian: and when you see this long line, the same thing. does it hurt you to see the long lines, but does it also make you

feel better knowing that you are the reason they're getting there? blanca: you know, i'm just realistic about the situation. you know what i mean? and i know that a lot of people, a lot of people need the food right now because of the situation, because of pandemic, because maybe, you know, they went through an operation, or they're going through just something that doesn't allow them to go to work. i hear so many stories, damian, of single moms that, you know, need to be home with their kids, and they don't have family to leave those kids with anybody. and so how do they provide, you know? and they're staying with a friend, but they still need to have their food and stuff like that. there's so many reasons and situations. and the reason why we have so many clients right now, of course, pandemic is the number one right now. and we've seen, you know, steady numbers be around half a million people a month that we see, and we actually expect that to

continue as people get back on their feet, even with more and more people vaccinated, like i was saying. but, you know, it's for me being realistic, you know, the realization of, "yes, you are here, of course, because of the situation," but at the same time i'm so happy when i see them, because they trust us, that we're going to be providing nutritious food for their family and enough for those two, three, four families, you know. and so it just makes me so happy that, to know that they can count on us to provide the service for them, for their entire families, and i just couldn't be more grateful, and i want to encourage everybody to keep coming. and if you want to save some money, like damian and i were talking before, to save up for your car, for your vacation, for your college, anything, if you just want to save the $200, $300, $400 a month, and you want to get the food--

'cause this is a gift. this a gift. you're not asking us for food. we're giving you this gift of nutritious meal. do that. come to us. we're not going to ask you if you have a job, if you have money, for any documentation. we're not going to ask you for anything. we're just going to thank you for being there, and we're gonna pack your car with the food and hope to see you in two weeks after that. damian: oh, that's wonderful. well, i mean, don't let your children go hungry during this summer, now that school is out, and the school lunches may not be there. a lot of schools, however, are doing that, but some may not be. so, don't let children starve. go to second harvest. blanca: but we have summer meals, though. damian: right, summer meals. blanca: we have summer meals, for sure. and any child who is 18 or younger can get a safe, free lunch, more than 80 sites in santa clara and san mateo counties. no registration is required. so, please come to us. actually, if i can just tell you to visit our website, that'll be

super easy, and you can get all the information and see where you can go. it's shfb.org/getfood. go there. just type in "summer meals," if you didn't get a chance to write down our website right now. go and check out all the information and find out where is the closest location to you, and you can get food for your children, for the parents, for the caretakers, every day, and you can get breakfast. you can get your snack. you can get your meal. you take it home. or some sites also, now that we're getting better with the protocol of the covid and pandemic, you can actually stay there. you know, some schools are okay with that. so, yeah, it's a great program. and, oh, if you want more information, too, you can actually text to us or call us. go to our website.

i mean, we have many ways to get in touch with us. damian: all right, we showed the website on the screen, so log on to that and find out more about where you can get your summer meals from second harvest food bank. blanca, thank you so much for what you're doing throughout the bay area. blanca: thank you. thank you, damian. thank you so much for having us. damian: gracias, and we'll be back here on comunidad del valle with an old flashback, mystique. stay with us. ♪♪♪ the sleep nunumber 360 s smart bed.. it's's the mostst comfortabable, dually-a-adjustable,e, fofoot-warmingng, tetemperature-e-balancing.g. proven q quality nigight sleeeep we've evever made. don't mimiss our 4thth of july y special. sasave up to $ $1,000 on s sp nunumber 360 s smart beds.. plus freree premiumm delivevery when yoyou add a base. enends monday.y.

damian: well, to get a hold of us here on comunidad del valle, you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian or on instagram my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo. also pick up a copy of el observador newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across bay area. i wish you're enjoying your 4th of july weekend. we're going to leave you now. it's a flashback, it's a throwback, the days of mystique. we lost eddie villalba a while back, but i wanted to thank them. they're one of my first musical guests live band in our studio, comunidad del valle. so, here is mystique. buenas tardes.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪ ya todo se me acabó ♪ ♪ no me puedo resistir ♪ ♪ si voy a seguir sufriendo mejor quisiera morir ♪ ♪ yo voy vagando en el mundo ♪ ♪ sin saber a dónde ir ♪ ♪ los años que van pasando ♪

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♪ i never met a girl like you in my life. ♪ cc by aberdeen captioning (800) 688-6621 aberdeen.io ♪ the way that you hold me in the night. ♪ ♪ the way that you make things go right. ♪ ♪ whenever you're in my arms, ♪ ♪ you're filling me with all your charms. ♪ ♪ suavecito, mi linda. ♪ ♪ suavecito ♪ ♪ suavecito, mi linda. ♪ ♪ suavecito ♪ ♪ the feelin' ♪ ♪ the feelin'-- ♪♪

right now at 4:30, this brush fire in contra costa county not believed to be from fireworks but could be the beginning of an extremely busy night for firefighters as the threat from illegal fireworks looms. welcome to the news at 4:30. right now we want to take you straight to the white house. president biden about to make remarks. >> a sacred day in our country, a day of history, of hope, remembrance and resolve, of promise and possibilities. before me