BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — Just blocks from the shuttered Bethlehem Steel plant, the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley was bustling during lunch recently. Out of sight, a constant stream of visitors was shopping in its massive food pantry.
Over the past seven months, the number of visitors to the pantry has risen by more than a third. The center’s executive director, Raymond Santiago, sees that as a stark sign that many in the area’s Latino community are struggling.