Latinx cultural center charts new path forward
By Gregg McQueen / The Bronx Free Press
When Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered New York businesses to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, the edict also shuttered community-based organizations providing essential services throughout the city.
Loisaida, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to helping low-income Latino residents, was no exception.
Typically, the organization serves about 500 people per month through social services, arts-based programming, and youth development, said Loisaida Director Alejandro Epifanio Torres.
“In recent years, we’ve tried to expand ourselves to reach even more people, especially community members that don’t always have access to these types of programs,” he said. “This had been a time of growth for us.”
And a time of change – Torres had just been named the organization’s new Director a few weeks before.
“This is definitely not what any of us expected,” he said.