Dear Centro Community,

We hope that you and your family are healthy and safe. Our hearts go to those who are struggling the most and who have lost loved ones. We believe that the human spirit is strong and courageous, and that we must act collectively to help each other through the COVID-19 pandemic that is affecting each and every one of us in some way. It is a time to reflect, adjust our actions, and move forward with intention. This is a defining moment in our lives.

At Centro, we stand together. Our entire team is working from home to do our part to flatten the curve and we are making necessary adjustments that allow us to continue to offer support to small business entrepreneurs in our community. By shifting all of our programming online, Centro is able to continue its vital work during these challenging times.

Our team has already begun to support existing small businesses that need assistance accessing emergency government loans, and we are expanding our business advisory team to better help connect small business owners to available resources. Centro will be also providing entrepreneurship training online throughout the year and we are continuing to build our online capacity to better serve our entrepreneurs. I invite you to review (and share) our webpage with resources for business owners impacted by COVID-19.

I have learned that, in challenging times, we fall back on our values and the love we have for our family and our community. Only love can cast out fear, and the time for strong love is now. We will persevere together as a family, team, and community and will continue to build a better future for all of us.

If there is anything our team at Centro can do to help you, please let us know. We are inviting Centro’s entrepreneurs to fill out our COVID-19 Response Form. You can also email us at help@centrocommunity.org or call us at (510) 556-4249 to talk with our advisors in English or Spanish.

If you are able to support Centro please donate to our Emergency Fund to Support Businesses Impacted by COVID-19.

Sincerely,

Arturo A. Noriega

Founder & Chief Executive Officer