INP Announces Gianina Enriquez As Recipient of 2021 Changemaker Awards

The Institute for Nonprofit Practice (INP), which works to transform the social impact sector to be more effective, equitable, diverse, and connected, announced recipients of its 2021 Changemaker Awards. The 2021 Changemaker Awards shine a light on individuals who didn’t necessarily make headlines, but have been on the frontlines supporting their neighbors and communities, demonstrating remarkable service, courage, and generosity while confronting unprecedented adversity over the past two years.

We are excited to share that Gianina “Gia” Enriquez, the Queens Museum’s Community Organizer, is one of the fifty individuals across the country honored for service in community amidst the global pandemic.

Gia organized and led efforts to increase food security to the Museum’s most immediate neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Queens was at the epicenter of the first wave that hit New York in 2020, experiencing some of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the city. As Black, Brown, and immigrant communities have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 across the country, the largely immigrant communities living in Queens continue to face devastating loss and food insecurity due to unemployment and unequal access to resources and government assistance. Gia worked extensively to ensure that La Jornada Food Pantry at the Queens Museum, which serves on average 600 families weekly, provided services to 47,000 families that have visited the pantry since June 2020.

“We are humbled to announce INP’s 2021 Changemaker Awards recipients,” said INP President and CEO Yolanda Coentro. “Last year, the Institute for Nonprofit Practice put out a call for nominations and our community members went above and beyond to answer it. After thoughtful consideration of each submission, INP is honored to show its deep appreciation for these Changemakers by centering and amplifying their voices, insight, and social impact. These leaders have shown up for our communities in profound ways, sustaining others despite unrelenting circumstances. Now, it’s time that we show up to celebrate, uplift, and inspire them along their journeys of service.”

Click here to learn more about the 2021 Changemaker Awards recipients.