For families across New York City, Little Essentials is more than just a nonprofit—it’s a lifeline. And for many, it’s volunteer Jasmin Morillo who makes it feel that way.

Since 2021, Morillo has been helping distribute essentials like clothing, strollers, and diapers to families in need across the five boroughs. But her impact goes beyond those donations.

“We’ve been able to serve 62,000 families and donate 1.4 million diapers so far,” Morillo said.

What You Need To Know

  • Little Essentials serves NYC families in need by providing essentials like clothing and diapers

  • Volunteer Jasmin Morillo also creates workshops to teach literacy and support families with special education needs

  • Morillo’s bilingual skills help her connect with immigrant families, fostering trust and community

Morillo has also designed workshops for parents, teaching them how to give their children a head start in life.

“I’m an educator myself. I’m a dean. So the first educational lesson that I give is literacy. So it’s like, how can you read to your child at an early age?” she said.

Her work doesn’t stop at early education. Morillo also helps families navigate the challenges of raising children with learning disabilities or speech and language impairments.

“When families have identified their student has a disability, such as a learning disability or if they have like a speech and language impairment — I’m helping them with how they can identify that and what they need to do as the next steps to support their child," she said.

Morillo said growing up, her brothers had special education needs. She helped her immigrant family navigate resources, and now she’s paying it forward.

“I know there are some families who shy away from places because someone doesn’t speak their language. Once they hear you speak Spanish, they want to tell you everything. So it just also builds that community where you have someone who’s representing you,” Morillo said.

“Education will continue to be the biggest equalizer in this country for communities of color,” Courtney Crawford, president and CEO of Little Essentials, said.

Crawford praised Morillo’s personalized approach to helping families.

“She knows that everyone deserves that personalized attention. She makes sure that it’s not a one-stop shop, that when you come to those education programs, she builds relationships with them, and she makes sure that you walk away knowing that you have someone that you can come back to,” Crawford added.

For lifting others up and reducing stress on families with a tight budget, Jasmin Morillo is our New Yorker of the Week.