Goya CEO delivers thousands of pounds of food and rosaries to Ukrainian refugees in Poland

Since Goya was first founded by Spanish immigrants in 1936, it has been a staple in Hispanic kitchens across the United States and the premier source for authentic Latin cuisine – but through its Goya Gives global initiative, the company has also become a global leader in corporate charity, providing millions of pounds of food to families during the pandemic, to victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and now to refugees from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

According to a press release from the company, “With the help of Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), Goya Foods, through Goya Europa, its European facilities in Spain, and Goya Gives global initiative, the company will continue to distribute hundreds of thousands of pounds of food, water, and supplies as needed to Ukraine and Poland, where many refugees are fleeing.”

But a recent Facebook post on the official Goya page reveals that Goya CEO Bob Unanue and his team are currently on the ground along Poland’s border with Ukraine “with a special delivery of faith, prayer and hope for the people of Ukraine.”

“We delivered over 15,000 rosaries that were donated by American people from around the world, along with another food donation of 150,000 pounds,” the post stated.

Although the delivery of food is essential, the delivery of donated rosaries is important to Unanue, who believes the gesture speaks to the horror of war.

“Darkness is the absence of light, and evil is the absence of God,” he said. “With the miraculous gift of these rosaries from these beacons of light with prayer, love and hope, we will pierce the darkness and inspire the leaders of our world to reject evil and move closer to God.”

“Through our Goya Gives global initiative, Goya has always been at the forefront of disaster and humanitarian relief efforts; however, this is a historic attack and genocide on innocent civilians, and we cannot sit back and do nothing,” Unanue said.

“We are blessed to have a presence nearby and we are fortunate to be able to answer the call for help. We send our prayers and love to the people of Ukraine and all those who are on the ground, putting their own lives at risk to help those in need.”