Hispanic Heritage Month: Latino's Non-Profit Delivers Huge Blessings

Sixteen years ago on a Christmas morning, Tom Ramsey left California for Texas with his family, a trailer and just $1,500 to his name.

The prior decade had been a difficult one for him, and he wanted to start his life again in a new location.

"It was a period of 10 years that was pure hell. I was robbed, had a gun held to my head, made poor decisions and didn’t know God,” Ramsey, a Mexican American born in Texas, said. “I had no home, and no way to feed my family.”

As he faced a mountain of economic problems, Ramsey began turning to religion. That led him to start his own non-profit called Celebration of Love.

In Texas, Ramsey began working at a food pantry ministry, the San Jose Cathedral’s Reaching Out Center, where he got to see first-hand how many people were in need of food, shelter and basic things. It was there he found his desire to help others.

“I wanted to get good fresh food to the homeless," he said. "I never understood why people always gave leftover food.”

Ramsey obtained an SBA loan, and used his past experience in catering to build Snappy Snacks Mobile Catering from just one truck.

Today, his business has expanded to 72 trucks, operating out of several outreach centers including Reaching Out Center (ROC), which provides food, clothing and job training resources to impoverished families. His non-profit was been so successful it expanded into Celebration of Love Soldiers of America, and more.

The ROC fed over 7,700 people and families in the Pflugerville community in 2011. Over 3,400 families celebrated a Celebration of Love Circle of Love and Celebration of Love Soldiers of America. Every Christmas, Celebration of Love Soldiers of America serves Christmas meals and donates toys to military families at Fort Hood, Texas.

Ramsey said he wants to further expand his ministry and encourage other communities to implement a Celebration of Love in their areas.

Ramsey believes it was his newfound Christian faith which led him to follow his heart and get involved with a ministry to feed the homeless.

He even attributes it to a sort of "supernatural" moment at San Jose Cathedral in Texas.

“I closed my eyes and I tried to open my eyes and they felt glued shut, then I felt the Lord’s presence on me and when I finally opened eyes I couldn’t get it to happen again, and I knew God was for real,” he said.

To find out how you can help feed a family, donate or become a sponsor, go to www.celebrationoflove.org.

GiGi Erneta is a Fox News Latino Contributor, a Radio Host of Standing Freedom, and freelance writer.