Faviola and Marcos Vazquez serve lunch at the May 5 Everett CRC open house.

Faviola Vazquez Mora knows how devastating the pandemic was for many families, like hers. She also knows the resilience that’s possible with hard work and the helping hands of “angels” along the way.

Now Faviola is in a position to share her resilience and gratitude. More than two years after her family found help at LCSNW’s Community Resource Center (CRC) in Everett, she catered a lunch at the center’s new space. She told the crowd how deeply grateful she is to LCSNW and its supporters.

The Marysville resident has lived in Snohomish County for 30 years, having relocated from California with her husband, Marcos, and two children. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, she lost two jobs and Marcos lost his job with a construction company. The months that followed were stressful, not knowing where their next meal would come from or how the next utility bill would be paid. Collection notices piled up.

Faviola started selling fresh vegetables from her car to people isolated at home. That was about the time she learned of LSCNW’s Community Resource Center in Everett.  Our CRC is a place of assistance and hope for families in crisis. We help with essentials like emergency household and personal supplies, finding or keeping housing, help with applications for health insurance, and much more. Faviola got help paying electric and water bills, applying for food stamps and referrals to other resources.

“You can’t know what a relief it is to get help with big bills like those,” she told the audience at the Everett open house. “Especially from people you don’t know and who so generously support their community. You are downright angels to me and my family. You gave me so much advice and guidance to get help in several ways.”

With some of the pressure off, new ideas emerged and their vegetable delivery business led to a catering business, Tacos El YoYo, serving tacos, sides and beverages for large events and weddings. The company’s name honors Faviola’s father with a nickname the entire family uses. 

Faviola and Marcos have found full-time jobs again; she is with the City of Seattle and he returned to construction work. Back on their feet, they will keep doing the catering business on weekends. Faviola is excited that a recent display at the Seattle Wedding Show led to more catering jobs.

The gratitude that Faviola and Marcos express goes beyond words. At the May 5 LCSNW open house, they would accept only a small payment, wanting to give back to the agency that helped them through tough times.

“Your organization asks for nothing from the people you help,” she said. “You do it from the bottom of your hearts. And that means the world to families like mine.”