(From left) Sacred Heart Center employees Lidia Bustillo, Executive Director Tanya Gonzalez, Jose Galvez and Berenice Castillo (Photo by Jay Paul)
The Sacred Heart Center in Richmond’s South Side has become a hub for the region’s growing Latinx community, and although currently the center’s in-person offerings have been paused, the nonprofit has adapted its services to help families navigate the pandemic.
“It's been a time of continuing to be in solidarity with the families that we serve, but having to be really creative and flexible,” says Sacred Heart Center Executive Director Tanya Gonzalez.
The nonprofit community center has served the area’s Latinx population since 2011 and reaches around 11,000 people per year through a range of programs for youth and adults, which include GED and citizenship interview preparation, English and Spanish language education, and after-school programs.
Gonzalez says the center has served as a trusted place for Latinx families in the area to access needed services without running into cultural or language barriers.
“When there are families that are new to the country or new to Richmond and may have certain challenges or barriers in accessing services, including issues around language or culture … we see disparities in how people are able to access services,” she says. “We have many of our community members talk about feeling like they're at home in the Sacred Heart Center, and … we've found that goes a long way in helping increase equity when it comes to all of these services.”
The center closed temporarily in mid-March while its staff shifted its programs online through video calls and group chats, Gonzalez says, though some community center-goers have had difficulties accessing those programs due to the lack of a computer or internet service at home. In late March, the center also reopened its food pantry, which it operates in partnership with Bainbridge Community Ministry.
The pantry now operates Tuesday through Friday each week, Gonzalez says, and offers curbside pickup for nonperishable foods and personal hygiene products for up to 30 families per day by appointment.
Sacred Heart Center staff members also field questions and clear up misconceptions about the coronavirus through a dedicated resources page on the center’s website alongside its social media channels and a twice-weekly Spanish radio program on Radio Poder (WBTK 1380 AM) and Ultra Radio Richmond (94.1 FM, 1540 AM and 1480 AM.)
Those services can be a big help for the region’s Latinx community, which has seen disproportionate rates of coronavirus infections, according to state health department data. Latinx residents account for just under half of all of Richmond’s COVID-19 cases with reported ethnicity data from the Virginia Department of Health, despite making up 7.1% of the city’s population.
“We are definitely concerned about the rise that we’re seeing over the last two weeks in numbers of [Latinx] immigrant families that are being impacted,” Gonzalez says. “A lot of people have continued to [leave their homes for] work during this time because of the nature of their work ... so that, of course, also increases risk.”
The center also received a $50,000 grant from the Central Virginia COVID-19 Response Fund, which Gonzalez says is being used to support its food pantry alongside emergency housing assistance for families and to purchase laptops for those who lack computer access.
Going forward, Gonzalez says she’s been heartened to see the city offer free COVID-19 testing in low-income communities with concentrations of underinsured people but says continued efforts to help families in need over the coming weeks and months will be crucial.
“There’s always more that can be done,” she says. “This is a marathon, not a sprint, so I do think that our community will continue to need support and assistance as the weeks go on.”
Want to help? The Sacred Heart Center is accepting nonperishable food donations on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m. and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donations can be dropped off at the side of the building, located at 1400 Perry St. Personal care products, diapers, feminine hygiene products and latex gloves are also accepted.
To receive assistance, make an appointment by calling 804-230-4399 Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5 p.m. For more information, visit shcrichmond.org/en/.
Never miss a Sunday Story: Sign up for the newsletter, and we’ll drop a fresh read into your inbox at the start of each week. To keep up with the latest posts, search for the hashtag #SundayStory on Twitter and Facebook.
