'These are our neighbors': Highland Park food pantry wants to make sure Latinos are not overlooked
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As the Highland Park community continues to heal after the tragic 4th of July parade mass shooting, a food pantry wants to make sure everyone, including those who speak Spanish, gets the resources they need.
CBS 2's Shardaa Gray spoke with a food pantry trustee to make sure the Hispanic population isn't overlooked.
"These are our neighbors"
Pablo Alvarez wants to make sure the Latino community doesn't fall through the cracks when it comes to those who need to heal after the deadly Highland Park shooting.
"These are our students at Highland Park High School. I'm a counselor there. I've seen many of these students grow up."
Alvarez is a trustee for Moraine Township, which runs a food pantry. He leads a committee made up of social service agencies in Highland Park, providing support and resources for the Spanish speaking community.
"It's important for me to ensure, as well as to this committee, to ensure that all of our Spanish speaking families are able to access these critical supports right now."
The U.S. Census showed in 2020, Highland Park's population was more than 30,000. More than 3,300 were Hispanics.
"Now with July 4th, how that day changed our community forever, now we are mobilized to ensure the resources and supports that are available, that are needed to provide healing."
Tuesday, Moraine Township continued that support of healing. With a combination of the FBI, American Red Cross, Illinois Emergency Management Agency and many others, they provided counseling at Highland Park High School.
The letter was sent out in English and Spanish.
"Ensuring that bilingual therapist are available for our families to process their pain, in their language, so that healing can happen. It's going to be a very long road ahead," Alvarez said.
