HARTFORD, Conn — A local community organization donating toys, food, clothing, and other family necessities to people in need.
When the Covid-19 pandemic reached Connecticut back in March, Ingmar Rivera and his partner Xyomi De La Cruz wanted to help those going through tough times. Xyomi came to America as a Peruvian refugee, and knew firsthand, the struggle that other families like hers were going through. She started the La Bodeguita de la Gente group.
“She had to walk two and a half hours from her house to Hartford to get some food and groceries and stuff like that to get help for her and her kids. That’s when she decided instead of me doing, I can start doing the same thing and start helping people out” says Xyomi’s partner Ingmar Rivera.
What started as help for single immigrant mothers in the Hartford area, quickly gained traction with the entire community. This was difficult because all of the donations happened out of Xyomi’s home.
“The whole living room was completely. We moved everything from the living room and we just had everything there. Rice, sugar basic things that you need in the house” says Rivera.
At the beginning, they were accommodating 8 families. 8 families quickly grew to 20 families. From 20, it grew to 80, and today, they serve over 250 families on a regular basis.
“We are looking for any kind of donation right now because we don’t want to stop. Our goal right now, once the pandemic is done, we want to keep going”
If you’d like to learn more, donate or volunteer your time, you can click here.