At El Centro Hispano we are taking every possible precaution to protect our people – social distancing, teleworking, mask-wearing, frequent hand-washing, and much more. We are also doing everything we can to support our community, who have been hit hardest by the pandemic, and whose jobs, many of them considered essential, are making it possible for the country to continue to function during the pandemic. 

With so much appreciation and gratitude to my team, I’d like to provide you an update on our ongoing efforts to help local families at risk during this difficult time:

1. – From March 13 until now we have helped 1,391 families with food for a total of 5,558 people of which 2,855 are minors. 
2. – We have assisted 29 families with rent and utilities. An additional 162 Orange County families are in the process of receiving help. 
3. – With the COVID19 Crisis Response Fund that you have continually supported, and which we are thankful for, El Centro Hispano has helped 654 families with food, for a total of 2800 people of which 1433 are minors.
4. – We also have helped 19 families with income and public services with $10,290.
5. – Along with the food we have delivered 1,200 cloth masks that we bought from 15 local artisans.
6. – We also obtained support to give $500 in cash to 40 Centro de Empleo y Liderazgo workers.
7. – We continue to support 100 people with education programs and connect with 140 members in our support groups.
8. – We continue to promote the census, register to vote, and communicate with local and state legislators and elected officials to promote our rights and those of the community.
9. – We have answered 1,861 calls and 794 follow-up calls have been made from our Ventanilla de Salud in partnership with the Mexican Consulate.
10. – 597 people have served in the Consulate and 541 people in the Mobile Unit with LliBott Clinics.
11. – Together with the North Carolina Hispanic media, we launched the NC Unida Contra El Virus campaign which aims to send unified messages to the at-risk Latino community to raise awareness about COVID-19 and reduce contagion. As of today, 22 organizations including local non-profits and some local government agencies have joined this initiative. 

This year will surely go down in history, not only because of the pandemic but for the many ways in which we are choosing to stand together on behalf of the families who are needing the most.

Only together, as a community, we will be able to overcome these challenging times and also to tackle its profound consequences. More than ever, everyone’s contribution matters.