In the season 3 premiere of Giving Done Right, La Colaborativa Executive Director Gladys Vega talks with hosts Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette about our community, the pandemic, and what it truly means to have "boots on the ground." She discusses La Colaborativa’s...
Latino Heritage Month: We’re Celebrating Resilience & Opening Our Doors
September 15, marked the start of Latino Heritage Month and the kickoff to a month-long celebration of Latino culture, history, and leadership. This is a month to not only celebrate, but to recognize the immense needs still present in our Latinx communities. At La...
Support Through the Shortage
Photo by Brian Snyder - REUTERS Wednesday has always been the busiest day of the week at La Colaborativa's food pantry, with lines wrapping around a full Chelsea city block. While many are there for fresh vegetables and pantry staples but many more are in search of...
New Home for the Food Pantry
Due to ongoing work on the Chelsea Survival Center, our food pantry is moving, but not very far! You can find our new location right across from 63 Sixth Street under the overpass, where we will continue to distribute food and other necessities to our community. We...
This is Chelsea’s Emergency Room
Tanairi Garcia looked around the lobby of the food pantry which had closed for the evening with a sigh: "This is Chelsea's emergency room. We call it a food pantry, but this is an emergency room." Tanairi is La Colaborativa's Food Pantry Director and spends her days...
The Art of Activism: Two Local Women of Color Take on COVID-19 and Racial Violence
Executive Director Gladys Vega joined activist Monica Cannon-Grant, founder of Violence in Boston, and Under the Radar Host Callie Crossley to talk about how they've harnessed the power of local activism and on-the-ground organizing to raise their communities up and...
How it started & How it’s going: A look back at a year of pandemic response
HOW IT STARTED & HOW IT'S GOING A look back at a year of pandemic response It's been a full year since the pandemic took hold of our communities and changed our lives, our families, and our businesses forever. Twelve months later, too many families in hard-hit...
Opening Our Doors: COVID Vaccines Now Available at La Colaborativa
Today was a major milestone in Chelsea's fight to end the public health and economic devastation caused by the pandemic. In collaboration with East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and the City of Chelsea, La Colaborativa opened our doors at 318 Broadway for the...
Whatever It Takes: A Lifeline for Families
from the nonprofit La Colaborativa in Chelsea who have been working for months to keep Chelsea fed since the pandemic began. Back row, left to right: Cristina González, Dinanyili Paulino, Gladys Vega, Vanessa Meneses, Brenda Romero, Yessenia Alfaro, and Nery Martinez....
Bright Spots of 2020: Some highlights from a historic year
It's the end of a tough year, and La Colaborativa is still here serving record numbers of community members with rapidly expanding services and supports. We absolutely could not have accomplished any of this without the unwavering support of so many partners, allies,...