Helping others feel valued, heard, and loved is a big part of the mission at Love and Nurture Initiative. In many ways, the non-profit organization hopes to unlock possibilities and create lasting legacies of nurturing relationships for diverse Inland Empire populations for years to come.
Recently, the community-based wellness and support organization received a grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation, which founder Fatima Baldelomar calls, “a blessing.”
“The grant will really help us continue what we have started several years ago,” Baldelomar said. “When I started the organization, I wanted to especially focus on emotional well-being and mental health, especially for immigrants who now find themselves in a new country. When I came to this country, it was a very challenging to navigate the system. It was a cultural shock. I was not able to find support. It was just me navigating every aspect.”
Once Baldelomar checked all the right boxes after arriving in the U.S., she felt called to help others, especially immigrants and families who might need assistance navigating the system.
To that end, the organization provided a variety of valued resources, such as an empowerment program and other support-type groups where people could feel nurtured and “in community.”
“Our mission is to provide safe space for others so they can feel supportive and validated and not judged,” she said.
One of the unique offerings the organization provides is healing circles for the community— women, families, and individuals.
“Last year, we had a lot of participants in the circles,” Baldelomar said. “People came to us because they were feeling overwhelmed and stressed about the situation with immigration, and the situation with I.C.E. And we were like, ‘how can we help?’ So, we became solution-focused. We said, ‘OK, we know there are problems, but let’s focus on the solutions, and let’s focus on ourselves.”
But something happened in those healing circles that Baldelomar didn’t expect.
“We noticed the ‘circle group’ was not enough,” she said. “Most of all the participants that came needed a follow-up; some kind of individual support.”
That sparked a decision to develop of a new program, which was launched last year and included yet another extra aspect that targets mental health.
“It’s been helpful,” Baldelomar said, “because if people, especially those in the Latino community, chose just to talk to someone, they can feel validated. It’s important to have somebody understand the culture who can talk to you in your own language.”
Individuals interested in more one-on-one support can meet with key members of the organization after a healing circle experience, then go on to experience four to five individual sessions that lean into a more holistic approach to addressing mental health.
This focus on healing, empowerment, and social support is threaded throughout the organization. Beyond these holistic services, the non-profit’s approach emphasizes cultural competency, education, and collaboration with the community and other organizations.
Leaning into the belief that there’s strength in “community power,” the nonprofit also organizes fundraisers, community-building events, and comprehensive workshops and training sessions for volunteers and partners.
Baldelomar said that recent grant will be funneled throughout the organization’s offerings, including linking individuals to key services such as food pantry distribution and other mental help resources.
Individuals interested in offering donations or volunteering, are welcome to visit the nonprofit’s website.
Learn more at loveandnurtureinitiative.org.
This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, May 2026.
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