Page 21 - NSA GALA JOURNAL 2019

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
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PABLO ESPINAL
Pablo Espinal was born in 1952 in the small town of Carrizal in San José de las Mátas, Dominican Republic. He was raised in a small two bedroom house with his parents, grandparents, and 14 siblings. As a child, he helped his parents care for the farm animals, grow vegetables, pick coffee and sell them.
At the age of 18, Pablo left Carrizal for New York with his mother and a sister, to pursue the American dream. With his strong conviction for a better life, he made sacrifices, taking his very first job as a dishwasher at a diner on Long Island. In 1973, Pablo moved to Brooklyn and started working in a clothing factory ironing clothes.
In 1979, along with his brother, Pablo started a new career as a bodega owner in Canarsie, Brooklyn, where he honed his skills and learned to speak English. A year later, he met his wife Ismelda, and became a father to Pablo, Jr. a year after that. After the birth of his son, Pablo left the bodega and bought his very first supermarket along with his two brothers. Over the next couple of years, the brothers opened three additional supermarkets.
In 1989, Pablo Espinal became one of the co-founders of The National Supermarket Association (NSA), and, along with his fellow members, conducted meetings in his Brooklyn home. He became the NSA President from 1994-1996 and is currently a Proud Member and a permanent Board Member.
Pablo has always had a passion to help those in need. In 1989 was his first non-profit fundraising journey named Fundación Pro Ayuda Communal (FUPAC) where he organized a way to aid for the less fortunate families in the Dominican Republic who needed food, medication, dental care, clothing, school supplies, and home repair.
A devote Catholic, where he always puts God first, Pablo joined Comunidad Siervo De Cristo Vivo where he regularly assigns his faith.
Today, Pablo is a current member of the Association for the Development of Carrizal (APRODECA), an organization he co-founded in 2011 along with other members of the community of Carrizal residing in the US, with the goal of raising funds for the sole purpose of helping needed families in the Central mountain region.
Pablo and Ismelda have celebrated 35 years of marriage. They have six children and nine grandchildren. Pablo is devoted to spending time with his family, and is happy knowing he was able to provide his family with everything they needed.