Melissa is the daughter of Filipino immigrants who set their roots in Los Angeles, California. She is a community organizer working at the intersection of food justice and houselessness issues.

Melissa founded Polo’s Pantry in 2018 as a response to food scarcity and injustices she saw while organizing in Skid Row and other areas in Los Angeles. In March of 2020, Melissa also co-founded Home-y Made Meals.

Melissa lost her father to complications from Type 2 diabetes almost two decades ago and recently her oldest brother to heart failure. Navigating these painful losses along with her own lived experiences of hunger and poverty has rooted her in community organizing. With Polo’s, Melissa is helping immigrant and poor communities heal through healthy food access and knowledge + power building. She is passionate about advocating for solution building led by people with lived experiences.

Melissa is an active member of the California Hunger Action Coalition, Services Not Sweeps Coalition, a proud madrina and community partner of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas and Lideres Campesinas. She is also currently part of UCLA's 2023 Activist-In-Residence Cohort and is a 2023 fellow of the Castanea Fellowship.