Lemoore woman honored by Rep. TJ Cox during 'virtual' 2020 Latino Inspire Awards ceremony

Rep. Cox first hosted the Latino Inspire Awards in 2019 in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated since 1988 from September 15th to October 15th.  

“Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of our Hispanic and Latino brothers and sisters to communities across the nation,” said Cox. “It is why I am honored to be able to celebrate this month with the second class of Latino Inspire Award honorees who work every day to make a positive impact on the lives of people across California’s 21st Congressional District.”

The following individuals and organizations were recognized during the virtual awards ceremony held Tuesday, Oct. 13: 

• Fresno County: Jacqueline Martinez, Juan Esparza Loera, Ofelia Ochoa, Roberto Vaca   
• Kings County: Ivette Stafforini, Martha Tamayo, Dr. Adalberto Renteria, Amory Marple  
• Kern County: Rosalinda Chairez, Magda Menendez, Ana Vigil, Matthew Cauthron, Norma Rojas-Mora  
• Organizations: Centro la Familia and the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 

Lemoore’s honoree, Martha Tamayo, moved to the Central Valley in her early twenties and worked as a farmworker picking cotton and tomatoes. Today, Tamayo works for the food bank at Kings Community Action Organization in Lemoore. Since March, her focus has been to make sure families have access to food, especially in rural communities, during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

One of her proudest achievements has been working with the humanitarian program “Palomas Mensajeras,” which helped arranged visits in the U.S. between elderly residents of Mexico and their family members living in the U.S. Most of the people who participate in the program had not seen each other in over ten years. 

Tamayo has served as the Policy Council Chairperson at the Kings Community Action Organization Head Start program and a Board Member of CCLS and the National Consumer Law Center.  

Tamayo says she loves helping people and being a voice for those who don’t have one and is the proud mother of 3 children.