Nonprofit Hands of Hope continues aiding Hispanic families post-Hurricane Helene

MORGANTON, N.C. — When Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina last fall, Spanish-speaking Appalachians encountered a legacy of language barriers when seeking disaster relief information. They also struggled to access aid.

In the immediate wake of this once-in-a-thousand-years flooding event, Carlos Foster and Sandra Aguirre formed the nonprofit Hands of Hope (Manos de Esperanza), distributing food and essential supplies and coordinating clean-up efforts.

The group has since established a permanent food pantry serving roughly 75 families weekly, Foster said, and now provides legal assistance to a sizable Spanish-speaking population. 

Roughly one in four Morganton residents identified as Latino, according to the U.S. Census. 

He spoke with the Click about what Hands of Hope is doing to support Hispanic families amidst heightened anti-immigrant rhetoric and possible raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Carlos Foster, cofounder of Hands of Hope, also serves on the board of the Western Piedmont Foundation, which galvanizes support for Western Piedmont Community College. [Credit: Carlos Foster]

The Click: Many Spanish-speaking families are cautious about approaching local agencies due to fears over ICE and other anti-immigration threats. How does Hands of Hope help marginalized people feel safer and get resources?

Foster: Three of our board members are from the Hispanic community here in Morganton — where everybody knows each other. A lot of people are connected to Sandra Aguirre because she’s very active on Facebook. They know they can trust her. She does a lot of personal things, keeping track of anxieties and when ICE comes into the community. There have been several times where unidentified vehicles or groups have looked like ICE, so Sandra will go check it out, and then share an update on Facebook. We have other families, but I would say about 75% of the people we help are Hispanic. 

Since Trump’s second term, anti-immigrant rhetoric has become quite combustible. People are being disappeared or deported, sometimes without due process. Tell me more about the fears and frustrations that Spanish-speaking families are expressing. How are they navigating the current political landscape?

Families are terrified. The raids have been the biggest thing. People don’t know if they’re going to go to work and never come home. Most of these people have family, and that is why the work Sandra has been focused on is so important. She has helped with citizenship and dual-citizenship applications, and talks about how difficult it is just for her. And she’s even a paralegal. If that’s frustrating for her, I can only imagine how frustrating that would be for a family that doesn’t speak very much English.

But even if they’re bilingual, it isn’t easy. There are English-speaking families that struggle with filling out government forms. It’s just hard for people to take the steps to start the process, and it’s very long. And the new administration isn’t particularly inclusive, so they don’t want to make it easier for families to get here or stay here. It should be an easier path. That’s the reason why so many people here are undocumented—it’s so difficult to get documented.

Carlos Foster (left) and Sandra Aguirre (right) began separate relief efforts immediately after Hurricane Helene, later joining forces to found Hands of Hope. [Credit: Carlos Foster]

I’m a day-by-day person. We’re trying to support as many families as possible right now. There’s a lot of politics at play with the things we do, but I try to think mostly about what it means to be a good human.

If we have families that need food, I don’t care what their background or politics are. I just want every family that needs food—or cleaning supplies to live in a sanitary environment—to have somewhere they can get it, without being judged. I hope things get more inclusive, but I know it will take a lot for a big shift in our nation.