Three business owners in Hunting Park are vaccine champions. Ms. Kim from Kim’s Market, Ms. Ivelissa from El Fogon Latino Restaurant, and Mr. Felix from Maria’s Restaurant are part of Esperanza’s Our Voices, Our Vaccines project. The Our Voices, Our Vaccines project aims to provide the Hunting Park community with accurate COVID-19 information. Based on the business owners’ experience and knowledge of COVID-19, they have helped with the development and dissemination of health materials in the community. Specifically, they have provided insightful feedback on COVID-19 flyers and posters and shared these resources to promote vaccine equity in their community and among their customers.
In 2020, some of the business owners were greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as many of them were forced to temporarily close their businesses due to federal guidelines. Consequently, they lost many customers, and their sales decreased, which made it challenging for them to keep up with paying their rent and other bills. Ms. Kim shared that she did not close her business, but she hardly had any customers because people feared getting sick from COVID-19 as there was no vaccine at the time. Mr. Felix had to close his business for two weeks, but he was able to reopen it and serve takeout after implementing new guidelines. Very similarly, Ms. Ivelissa experienced these types of challenges too. Despite the difficulties the pandemic brought, the three business owners remained resilient.
One way the business owners have remained successful is that they have continued to follow COVID-19 recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and have shared new information on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For example, the business owners still remind their customers about the importance of wearing a face mask when sick, and they encourage customers to use available hand sanitizer.
Throughout these challenging moments, Esperanza assisted and advocated for all business owners in the corridor by helping them apply to grants to pay their bills and rent. Also, Esperanza assisted them by providing resources such as face masks, hand sanitizers, and social distancing signs that were placed in the businesses with the purpose preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Overall, the three hard-working business owners have seen great progress throughout the pandemic. They are thankful for the development of the vaccine and grateful that science has given them more information on the COVID-19 virus. Additionally, they hope that all of their customers and members of the community are healthy and continue to be well. They believe that their businesses and Hunting Park’s economy have grown since the beginning of the pandemic, and they have seen the development of a prosperous neighborhood. Lastly, they are dedicated to using science to inform, support and advocate for positive change in their community.
This article is part of Esperanza’s community COVID-19 and flu vaccine project (Our Voices, Our Vaccines), which informs and engages Latinos on public health and vaccination programs impacting their well-being.
