{"id":5094359,"date":"2024-10-23T10:37:18","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T14:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ctlatinonews.com\/?p=5094359"},"modified":"2024-10-23T10:37:18","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T14:37:18","slug":"not-all-frog-hollow-residents-will-vote-but-they-agree-on-food-assistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/2024\/10\/23\/not-all-frog-hollow-residents-will-vote-but-they-agree-on-food-assistance\/","title":{"rendered":"Not All Frog Hollow Residents Will Vote But They Agree On Food Assistance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Many residents living in Hartford, Connecticut\u2019s Frog Hollow neighborhood are hesitant to vote despite being passionate and intune with local social issues, due to historical distrust. However, this community is not a monolith and those who are voting seem confident in a particular candidate. Between those voting and not voting, food insecurity and inflation at large are a key issue for many Latinx residents.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

At the heart of Frog Hollow, Patient Navigator Natalie Morales stays busy at the Hispanic Health Council’s Family Wellness Center on 590 Park Street. She spends her days helping people find open food pantries, apply to state assistance programs, fill out housing applications, and secure employment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a working mother, Morales said her own checks go directly to paying bills. Whatever she has left over, is her budget for groceries. With increasing prices, high-quality foods and fresh produce don\u2019t always make that budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes, I don\u2019t have enough to go out and buy $200-$300 worth of food,\u201d she explained.  \u201cThere are times that I do have to go to food pantries because it\u2019s not enough.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even then, like many working parents, Morales said she cannot always make it to a food pantry because of their limited hours and her busy schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInflation with food is very high\u2026Yes, we have food pantries but some are not every day,\u201d said Morales. She knows families who depend on food pantries on a regular basis and pointed out that pantries offer more non-perishable foods rather than meats, proteins, and produce that contain essential nutrients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, about 30% of Hartford residents said they experienced food insecurity\u2014more than half of these individuals identified as Latino and\/or Black\u2014compared to the statewide average of 14%, according to DataHaven\u2019s annual Hartford Equity Profile<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passionate about social issues in her local community, Morales said she supports the council\u2019s work on civic engagement\u2014however, she does not plan on casting a ballot this fall. Morales said she has not voted in many years and has not seen a difference whether she does or does not vote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a food distribution event in September, Hartford resident Melanie Segui echoed that inflation has impacted her this past year but she does not plan on voting. \u201cI just let others choose,\u201d she commented. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
A food distribution event hosted by GOYA Foods and the CICD Puerto Rican Day
Parade. Photo by Bel\u00e9n Dumont.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The Institute for the Hispanic Families at Catholic Charities food pantry. Photo by Bel\u00e9n Dumont.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the 2020 presidential election, about 50% of Hartford\u2019s eligible voters cast their ballot \u2014compared to the state average of 80%. During the 2022 state election, around 26% Hartford residents voted, with the state average being 58%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A historical distrust between residents and political processes continues to be a major challenge in the community, said Policy Advocacy Manager Megan Scharrer of the Hispanic Health Council. In response, the council has partnered with local community-serving organizations to host two listening sessions on how to best civically inform and motivate potential voters in the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through these community discussions, Scharrer learned that residents prefer to learn about the voting process through in-person conversations with other members of the community. In response, the council has organized a team of about 20 volunteers who go canvassing door-to-door in various Hartford neighborhoods to reach potential voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between those voting and not voting, Scharrer shared that food insecurity is a top concern for local residents, along with affordable housing, quality healthcare access, community safety, and protecting workers\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAccess to food\u2026that\u2019s a really big thing, access to actually healthy food in the neighborhood,\u201d said Scharrer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although there are Frog Hollow residents who are hesitant to vote, this community is not a monolith and those who are voting seem confident in their decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a sunny Saturday in October, seven volunteers reached out to around 200 households in the Frog Hollow community. Scharrer shared that residents were overall receptive to speaking about election day\u2014many had questions about voting registration and early voting. Although there were residents who felt as if their vote doesn\u2019t matter, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some residents said they feel as if their vote doesn\u2019t matter, others expressed great excitement for the elections, said Scharrer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hartford Resident Pedro Pimienta is ready to cast his ballot this November. He has watched his community adapt to the highs and lows of the local economy since emigrating from Colombia sixty years ago and said that recent inflation will strongly influence his vote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe got to be careful this time,\u201d said Pimienta. \u201cWe have to [be] conscious when we vote because it\u2019s our future.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Pimienta receives social security and pension benefits, he said it\u2019s not enough to cover all his expenses. In the past few years, inflation has impacted many aspects of Pimienta\u2019s life including the cost of groceries, insurance\u201d, home electricity, and his mortgage\u2014which has gone up from $700 last year to $1200 this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight now, the cost of living for me is very high,\u201d shared Pimienta. \u201cEvery month, when I pay all my bills, I don\u2019t have enough money for food. Every time I go to the supermarket, I think \u2018Oh, they made a mistake\u2019 and they say \u2018No, everything is correct\u2019…I remember I used to buy a rotisserie chicken for $5.99 and now it\u2019s $10.99.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents have emphasized how the qualifications for assistance programs, like The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are specific and exclusionary. For those who do receive SNAP benefits, the amount given is not enough at times due to inflation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few residents, who are eligible, have commented that the amount given is not enough at times since SNAP benefits are not increasing at the same rate as inflation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFood is very very expensive,\u201d said Morales. \u201cEven when a person gets food stamps from the state it\u2019s still hard because if\u2026that\u2019s all you get, you have to know how to manage your money to buy the food that you need.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 37% (9,206) of Frog Hollow households were participating in the SNAP program in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. While about 10.6% (1,725) of households experiencing poverty were not receiving SNAP benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With these issues in mind, community organizations are continuing their civic engagement efforts this fall with nonpartisan, door-to-door canvassing and informational events with the hopes of increasing voter turnouts and civic participation year-round. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve definitely tried to also teach people that it doesn\u2019t just stop at voting,\u201d said Scharrer. \u201cThere are ways to get civically involved and that\u2019s our goal, making civic engagement a part of everyday life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many residents living in Hartford, Connecticut\u2019s Frog Hollow neighborhood are hesitant to vote despite being passionate and intune with local 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