Founded in El Paso on International Women’s Day 2020 by Iris Lopez, Mija, Yes You Can is a nonprofit created by women for women, built around the phrase Lopez heard from her mother. The organization has awarded more than $70,000 in scholarships to girls attending development camps or college and to women building small businesses, runs the Rising ICONS of Tomorrow after-school mentorship program, and operates a Mija Professional Closet providing free professional clothing. Its annual Mija Market brings together more than 80 locally owned businesses and food vendors.
The SISD Foundation for Excellence in Education works to strengthen public education by supporting innovative actions that raise student achievement, promote excellence in teaching and educational leadership, and provide scholarships and educational enhancements not covered by public funding. Since 2005 it has funded postsecondary scholarships through fundraising activities including Socorro ISD’s annual golf tournament and employee and community contributions, helping more than 500 Socorro ISD graduates pursue degrees at universities nationwide. We contribute scholarships through the Foundation every year to graduating seniors at Socorro High School.
A nonprofit founded by Wendy and Miguel Gamillo, first-generation Mexican Americans born and raised in El Paso, Plant a Seed is dedicated to empowering the local Latinx and underserved communities. Its mission is to remove barriers and provide access to opportunities, resources, and solutions that help individuals and families overcome challenges and reach their full potential. Programs include Generations of Kindness, which connects youth with seniors; My Quince, which gifts a quinceañera to a girl who could not otherwise afford one; and an annual Race Against Human Trafficking.
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger is El Paso’s only food bank and a member of Feeding America, working to combat the region’s hunger crisis by strategically procuring and distributing nutritious food through community partners across El Paso, Hudspeth, and Culberson counties. In 2025 the food bank served 166,772 people and distributed more than 71 million pounds of food through 65 partner pantries, in a region where roughly 40% of residents face food insecurity.
