—Excerpt from Steam United’s La Cocina de mi Abuela Public Awareness Campaign—
Hartford has one of the highest concentrations of ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families with food insecurity among the areas served by United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut. The many food pantries and resources in this area remain under-utilized, especially by Spanish-speaking families, due to factors including differing hours of operation, documentation requirements and the pride of those who would be served.
We estimate 9,000 households of the Hartford Hispanic community are in the ALICE category. Our target geographic area of Frog Hollow, Barry Square and Behind the Rocks neighborhoods, are 70% Hispanic, with a concentration of approximately 4,000 ALICE households.
Through our campaign, La Cocina de mi Abuela, United Way can have the greatest exposure per dollar and improve the rate at which Spanish-speaking ALICE families use food-sharing services by enhancing awareness and acceptance.
Our campaign is tailored to increase familiarity, reduce stigma, and streamline the experience for new and existing patrons of food pantries. We aim to achieve this using a “Spanish-First” printed and word-of-mouth distribution via faith-based organizations and schools, combined with social media outreach through United Way’s social media channels. The focus of our campaign will tie in to CT Foodshare’s annual Walk Against Hunger, highlighting at least one local food pantry and host the festive unveiling of a community mural delivered in partnership with a local Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ).
