National Hispanic Heritage Month: 4 Organizations Driving Change and Serving Their Communities
By Emelia Gabbert-Payne
Communications Specialist
Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 marks National Hispanic Heritage Month — a time to uplift the cultures, histories and diverse contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. The observation began as a single week in 1968, as the Civil Rights movement emphasized the need to recognize how Latinx communities positively impacted the United States and its growth and was later expanded to a full month in 1988. Since the first National Hispanic Heritage Month observation, Latinx populations in the U.S. have continued to grow. Today over 62 million Americans identify as Hispanic or Latino.
Latinx-Americans come from deeply diverse economic, geographic and social backgrounds, representing the vibrant traditions and cultures of their families and heritage. Hispanic communities connect through cuisine, family-centered living and shared passions for music and sports, and their influence brings new experiences and grow their neighborhoods.
But despite the critical role that Latinx-Americans have played in shaping U.S. culture and economics, Hispanic and Latino communities face unique challenges that impact their health, well-being and overall quality of life. When it comes to access to healthy food, safe spaces and quality education, systemic disinvestment in communities and continued health inequities result in real impact for our Latinx neighbors.
50% of Hispanics will develop diabetes in their lifetime, and they are 50% more likely to die from the disease than white Americans (Centers for Disease Control)
Among Latinx communities, heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death, accounting for about 2 of 5 deaths (Centers for Disease Control)
Hispanic Americans are three times as likely than whites to be uninsured (The Commonwealth Fund)
Rite Aid Healthy Futures aims to address those kinds of health inequities, with a particular focus on children, through its Strengthening Cities initiative, a $10 million investment in six major American cities. Here’s a closer look at how just a few of our Strengthening Cities partners are serving Hispanic and Latino communities, to positively impact the neighborhoods they call home.
Centro SOL — Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore’s rapidly changing demographics often leads to a disconnect between new Latinx residents and the development of culturally and linguistically appropriate health care, social services and outreach programs. This exacerbates many existing health conditions, including childhood obesity, which impacts around 40% of Hispanic children in the US.
Centro SOL was founded in 2013 by caring physicians who saw that there wasn’t enough outreach to Baltimore’s Latino and Hispanic communities. Nearly a decade later, Centro SOL promotes equity in health and opportunity for Latinos by advancing clinical innovations, diversity in research, education access, and exposure and advocacy in active partnership with the Johns Hopkins institutions. The mission is simple: to support Latino health in the Baltimore area and address the challenges that the community faces at home and in the medical field.
Centro SOL is looking to bring change to their neighborhoods through projects in the four main areas of education, research and policy, community health, and outreach and resources. Each year, Centro SOL serves around 12,000 children and families.
Through the Strengthening Cities initiative, Rite Aid Healthy Futures is supporting Centro SOL’s Community Active and Healthy Families program (Community-AHF), a project designed to reduce obesity disparities for Latino children.
Community Active and Healthy Families
This behavioral-theory-based, culturally tailored, Spanish-language weight management program for Latino children and their families is helping bring Baltimore residents closer to the healthy futures they deserve. Community-AHF focuses on family diet and physical activity while equipping parents with skills to help their families attain good health.
Summer Engagement Program
The Summer Engagement Program supports Latinx immigrant youth through opportunities to gain soft skills while also helping students see the importance of their bilingualism in a professional setting. The program is a part of Centro SOL’s Youth Pipeline, which establishes educational and support programs for parents and students working to build the next generation of health care.
Fresno Metro Ministry – Fresno, California
Although Fresno County is one of the nation’s primary agricultural producers, the United States Department of Agriculture identifies 93 census tracts (46.5%) in Fresno County as low-income food deserts, and transportation limitations keep thousands of Fresno residents from affordable healthy foods.
Since 1970, Metro has actively advocated for the health and well-being of Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley, and their partnerships and offerings have become key parts of the community-sourced resource system in Fresno. Metro is addressing challenges through programs designed to support Fresno’s Hispanic and Latino community, which makes up 49.7% of the city’s population. Fresno Metro Ministry describes itself as a “community convener,” making it part of its identity to build partnerships, share solutions and drive change for families and youth across all boundaries.
Rite Aid Healthy Futures contributions support Metro’s Food to Share project, which encompasses four programs designed to address extreme food hardship, prevent chronic disease and promote healthy food-related economic development.
Homegrown Health
Homegrown Health was developed to reinforce the Fresno food system through increased access to locally grown, healthy produce. The program educates and guides communities as they begin backyard gardens and urban farms, and supports the growth of food-based entrepreneurial development. The Homegrown Health program also includes tools like the free Community Garden Toolkit and educational seminars focused on garden sustainability.
Food Stewardship, Waste Prevention, Food Recovery
This program, which engages 180 students at 12 separate schools, provides youth with important lessons in citizenship, social skills and food recovery. Students work through projects to learn how to keep healthy food in communities and what it means to ensure equity for the future.
Norris Square Neighborhood Project – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Norris Square Neighborhood Project (NSNP) was founded in 1973, when a fifth-grade teacher, Eastern State University professor, artists, volunteers, and local Puerto Rican women’s group Grupo Motivos joined to form a culturally relevant education center to serve children living in West Kensington, a neighborhood known for drugs and violence. Today, NSNP continues to provide safe spaces for youth and the community to engage with art, the environment, food and Latinx cultures.
Each year, Norris Square Neighborhood Project serves up to 100 teens and youth through after-school and summer offerings, as well as the community at large through innovative programming and culturally themed green spaces. NSNP’s programs provide youth with a place to develop leadership skills, build new relationships, practice urban agriculture and create art.
Through the Strengthening Cities initiative, Rite Aid Healthy Futures supports the Raíces de Cambio; Youth Garden Apprenticeship Program which improves access to culturally important agricultural practices for youth and communities.
Urban Gardens
The Norris Square Neighborhood Project’s network of urban gardens represents and embodies the diversity of the Puerto Rican culture and West African diasporas in Philadelphia. They are also places to cultivate food and herbs, host events and community gatherings, and enjoy culturally significant green spaces. NSNP currently operates six urban gardens in Philadelphia, each with their own offerings and sights.
Semillas del Futur
This after-school program for teens builds youth leadership while focusing on entrepreneurship, technology, arts, gardening and Puerto Rican culture. Students dive into learning through a youth-run farm stand and weekly activities that emphasize art, culture and the importance of spaces like city gardens. The program also provides students with a safe, supportive space to spend after-school hours.
Food Strong — Cleveland, Ohio
A Hispanic-led organization, Food Strong was founded by Executive Director Sara Continenza, whose passion for social justice through sustainable food sparked a movement to empower, educate and cultivate health in communities. Keeping close with the needs and challenges of those they serve, Food Strong develops programming that engages neighborhoods and brings fresh food to Cuyahoga County, where nearly 14% of the population is food insecure.
Food Strong initiatives also address the other challenges that Cleveland residents contend with, like income gaps and the need for safe green spaces. The organization’s strategic partnerships with local businesses and the public ensure the sustainability of critical services for years to come.
Strengthening Cities funding supports Food Strong’s Youth Garden and Culinary Arts Program, which educates youth on how to grow and use fresh, local foods.
Care-A-Van
Food Strong brings a variety of resources to people in need through the Care-A-Van program, a food-focused initiative that provides nutrition education, arts and crafts, music, health screenings and fresh local foods to events and spaces across Cleveland. Whether at a farmers market or school function, the Care-A-Van mobile resources program fosters new excitement over local food and supports happy, healthy communities.
Learning Gardens
In 2016, Food Strong Founder Sara Continenza began the process of developing the School Garden Toolkit and curriculum based on Ohio's Learning Standards. Those efforts have grown into the Learning Gardens, which guides students at over a dozen public schools through the design, planting, maintenance and harvest of onsite fresh food and flower gardens. The program also partners with local artists to assist students as they design and create food-focused murals that spread awareness while bringing new beauty to the community.
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