Mario and Olga came to New York City decades ago carrying very little — two suitcases, a stubborn faith, and the conviction that whatever the Lord gave them was meant to be shared. They built their life one shift, one Sunday, one borrowed pot of arroz at a time. Even in the leanest years, the kitchen table was never set for just the two of them.
What began as Olga handing a plate to whichever neighbor knocked grew, slowly and almost without anyone noticing, into something larger. A young mother sleeping on a couch. A primo just off the bus from Santiago. A widow who couldn't face Christmas alone. The door stayed open. The pot kept stretching. People stopped asking how she did it and just started calling her Mamá.
After years of doing this quietly out of their own pocket, Mario and Olga's children and friends gently insisted: this is too much beauty to keep informal. The Mamá Olga Foundation gives the work a home — a way for the wider community to walk alongside them, to make sure the table can keep growing, and to make sure no one who knocks ever finds the door closed.
"Lo que Dios nos da, lo compartimos. — What the Lord gives us, we share."
To be a steady source of hope for families in need, providing practical, compassionate help that transforms lives. We want to lift up stable homes, support educational dreams, and make sure no child or adult goes hungry — first in the United States and, in time, internationally. We dream of a community where every person can rise, move forward, and live with dignity, trusting that God uses generous hands and willing hearts to restore what need tries to break.
The Mamá Olga Foundation exists to identify, support, and meet real and urgent needs in qualified families, providing help in three essential areas: food, housing and moving, and scholarships and school support. Our mission is rooted in the biblical principle revealed in the story of the widow in 2 Kings 4, where God took the little she had and multiplied it until every available vessel was filled. That divine multiplication is the heart of this foundation. We don't simply give for the sake of giving. We listen, we discern with love, we pray, and we attend to each case to meet what is truly a genuine need in the moment. Our mission is to be a practical, sensitive, and organized response for families walking through hard seasons — extending grace, resources, and support so every home can find stability, relief, and dignity.
“And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.”
2 Kings 4:2 (KJV)
Just as the oil did not stop flowing until every jar was full, we believe that provision multiplies when there is faith, obedience, and hearts willing to share.
The Mamá Olga Foundation was born from a family — and the friends who have walked alongside it through years of quiet service.
We don't measure the foundation in headcounts. We measure it in plates passed across the table, rents covered before the eviction notice, and primos who slept on the couch until they didn't have to anymore. A few of those stories live below — names changed, dignity kept.
Last winter, a young mother on the next block lost her hours at work three weeks before Christmas. She didn't ask for help — she just stopped showing up at the bodega. Mamá Olga noticed. The foundation covered December rent, stocked the fridge through January, and made sure her two kids had something to open on Nochebuena. By February she was working again, and she still calls every Sunday.
When Carlos arrived from the Dominican Republic with a cracked phone and an address written on a napkin, Mario picked him up himself. He slept in the guest room for four months — long enough to find a job, save a deposit, and learn the J train. The foundation covered his MetroCard and his work boots. Today he sends a portion of his paycheck home to his mother, and another portion to the foundation.
Doña Inés had outlived her husband and most of her sisters. She told a neighbor she was going to spend Christmas Eve quiet, with the TV. Mamá Olga heard. That Nochebuena, three of us showed up at her apartment with pernil, pasteles en hoja, a ponche, and a card the kids had drawn. She cried, then she fed us. She has been at the table every Sunday since.
Multiply these by every week, every month, for many quiet years. That is the work.
Because every family deserves to be seen.
Because help should be honest and clear.
Because we meet need without judgment or shame.
We believe in working together to transform lives.
We respond to real situations, not repeated patterns — to what God places before us in the moment.
For years, Mario and Olga Sena have served quietly, given generously, fed families, supported employees, encouraged people through difficult seasons, and opened doors for others to grow. The foundation now gives structure to that legacy so the work can be documented, sustained, and carried forward with integrity for future generations.
Mamá Olga Foundation is guided by leaders committed to serving families with dignity, accountability, faith, and practical care. Our board and leadership help protect the mission, steward resources, support programs, and build partnerships that strengthen families and communities.
President & Director
Bio coming soon.
Vice President & Director
Bio coming soon.
Secretary & Director
Bio coming soon.
Treasurer & Director
Bio coming soon.
Public Relations & Director
Bio coming soon.
Bios, photos, and official foundation emails are pending approval.
Mamá Olga Foundation is grateful for the individuals, families, businesses, churches, and community partners who help make this work possible.
Supporter recognition will be published here once approved.
Mama Olga Foundation, Inc. is a faith-rooted nonprofit that serves families in New York City and beyond through food, housing support, education, trusted community resources, and compassionate follow-up.
“Mamá Olga Foundation” is the public-facing name we use for our cultural and Spanish-language identity. The organization's registered legal name is Mama Olga Foundation, Inc.
