Founder

Our grandfather, Nestor Sanchez, whom we call "Chiky," was born and raised in the mountains of Puerto Rico in the small town of Aibonito. When he was a child, he lived in a government-subsidized neighborhood and went to public school. Despite adversity, he was able to study medicine at the University of Puerto Rico and completed his Dermatology residency at Harvard University. He subsequently received a fellowship in Pathology at the Mayo Clinic. Instead of staying in the United States and working in a lucrative position, he returned to Aibonito. My mom would tell us stories about how Chiky would bring gifts every Christmas to the children from his old neighborhood and how he would dress up as Batman and visit schools to teach his values to them. In 1983, he established his first charity, "Hogar Divino Niño Jesus". For more than a decade, this home provided shelter and food for more than 200 children with AIDS. In 1999, he established La Fondita Divino Niño Jesus, which has provided hot meals, clothing, and social services for hundreds of homeless people.