WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — At WPTV, we continue to honor Hispanic Heritage Month by sharing with you the people and organizations making a difference in our community. I recently visited the Esperanza Community Center in West Palm Beach — a true beacon of hope, not only for Hispanic families in the Northwood area, but for anyone striving to lift future generations.
“Esperanza means hope, hope in our community, hope in our future, hope in each one of us, ”said Maricela Torres, co-founder and executive director.
WATCH BELOW: WPTV's Janny Rodriguez's conversation with Maricela Torres
Maricela Torres proudly showed me around the community center in its new location and talked with me about some of the critical needs they are meeting.
“We don’t want the parents to not participate because they don’t have childcare,” said Torres.
The childcare space allows working parents to access resources — without the extra cost of a babysitter.
They keep their “catch-all room” stocked with diapers for their monthly distribution, currently supporting 98 babies.
“Families are struggling, although they are working and they’re making such an effort to put food on the table and have shelter, there are those other necessities like baby diapers that may go unpurchased,” said Torres.
They also keep an emergency food pantry. She told me it’s to meet families where they are. “Sometimes we may have a family that is in desperate need of food and they can’t wait for that one-month distribution that we do.”
Right now, between 65 and 70 families are registered to receive food.
“For me it is so important to provide the resources that they need right now so that they can then focus on what they need to do to improve their life,” said Torres.
Improving the lives of the families they serve is the foundation of the Esperanza Community Center.
Equipped with computers, a printer, and a smart board, their lab is open to anyone in the area who needs access.
In their new location, there’s also space for workshops, adult literacy classes, and even a summer art camp for kids.
“Many of those kids had never been to camp before and it was an experience, it was an art immersive program with a schedule from beginning to end, then they had an exhibit,” said Torres.
The center runs on donations to keep its doors open. But they also need volunteers.
“If you have a skill or something that you like to teach, call us,” said Torres.
In fact, she told me there’s a huge need for a night English class, but they need reliable volunteers who can commit.
“Come to the Esperanza Center, we welcome everybody, you don’t have to be Hispanic, you don’t have to be Spanish speaking,” said Torres.
