Cancún Charity Ciudad de la Alegría Expands Aid as Food Requests Double

Cancún, Quintana Roo — A Cancún charity is expanding its aid programs after seeing demand for food assistance double, driven by economic hardship, unemployment and a growing informal labor market.

Requests for food support from low-income residents have doubled so far in 2026, said Paola Hidalgo Cavazos, general director of the Ciudad de la Alegría foundation, adding that more resources are needed to provide food packages to families.

Hidalgo Cavazos announced that the foundation will receive proceeds from the “roundup” donation program at a well-known convenience store chain during the October-to-December quarter. The funds will go toward its social welfare programs.

She said the organization has no fixed target but hopes to raise between 400,000 and 600,000 pesos. The money would help sustain its food program, which currently supports 40 to 60 low-income families with food packages each month.

Hidalgo Cavazos said more people show up for help every day, citing the difficult economic situation and the rise of informal work.

Elderly Home to Add 20 Spaces

She also pointed to the foundation’s home for the elderly, where a waiting list of older women hoping to move in has formed. The facility currently cares for 45 people.

An expansion is planned for the coming months at a cost of 700,000 pesos. The new layout would place elderly men on the upper floor and women on the lower floor, adding room for 20 more residents and bringing total capacity to 60.

Construction is scheduled to begin in November and finish in January or February of next year.

The elderly home costs about 280,000 pesos a month for food and health care, with roughly 15,000 pesos spent on each resident per month, according to the director.

Hidalgo Cavazos said elderly women are more likely to face abandonment.