Manos de Cristo Receives $10,000 Grant from Applied Materials Foundation Community Fund to Support Food Security for Central Texas Families

[Austin, TX] – [September 2026]

Manos de Cristo is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Applied Materials Foundation Community Fund to support its Food Security for Central Texas Families project. The funding will strengthen Manos de Cristo’s efforts to provide essential food assistance to Central Texas families and individuals experiencing food insecurity through its Gloria & Tony Moreno Basic Needs Center Food Pantry.

“This generous support from the Applied Materials Foundation will make it possible for us to continue providing nutritious food and essential resources to our neighbors when they need them most,” said Julie Ballesteros, Executive Director of Manos de Cristo. Through the Food Pantry, Manos de Cristo provides emergency food assistance to individuals and families facing challenging circumstances. Food Pantry visitors receive bags of groceries filled with healthy food staples and essential hygiene products to help meet their everyday needs. Support from community partners and generous donors enables Manos de Cristo to fulfill our mission for those in need.

Manos de Cristo has served the Central Texas community since 1988 and currently impacts more than 30,000 Central Texans each year through its affordable dental care, adult education, Back-to-School Program, and emergency food and clothing assistance programs.

The Applied Materials Foundation Community Fund grant represents an important investment in the health and well-being of Central Texas families. For more than three decades, Applied Materials’ annual Fight Against Hunger campaign has mobilized employees to combat hunger in local communities. In fiscal year 2024, employee donations and a match from the Applied Materials Foundation totaled over $3.3 million, supporting 58 food banks throughout North America. Globally, Applied employees address food insecurity in ways that are most relevant to their local communities. Manos de Cristo is grateful to the Applied Materials Foundation for its commitment to strengthening communities and helping ensure that families have access to essential resources.

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About Manos de Cristo

Manos de Cristo, founded in 1988, meets essential needs by providing adults and children with low-cost dental care, educational opportunities, and a back-to-school program to prepare elementary students for school with new clothing and school supplies, and emergency food and clothing relief. The Manos de Cristo Dental Center is one of the few not-for-profit dental facilities in Austin. Our life-changing services empower people of all backgrounds to build self-confidence and the ability to participate fully in the life of our community. All are welcome. Visit www.manosdecristo.org to learn more.

About Applied Materials Foundation

At Applied Materials, our vision is to Make Possible a Better Future. Through our community investments, employee engagement, and nonprofit relationships, we support organizations that help create thriving communities that are Educated, Creative, Resilient, and Sustainable. Applied Materials and the Applied Materials Foundation invest in nonprofit organizations located near our facilities and aligned with our community impact priorities. Alignment refers to both the location of impact as well as the issue area addressed by programming. All funded organizations are connected to one of our impact areas and are active in an Applied Materials location.