Sandra Torres and Natalie Marles started El Puente Hispano in 2017 to help Latino and immigrant families navigate life in Cabarrus County. Nine years later, the Concord nonprofit serves more than 1,000 families a year.

Torres, the organization's executive director, and Marles, its board chair, discussed El Puente Hispano's growth in a Cabarrus Compass interview published Sept. 28. The nonprofit was founded by a group of local Latino professionals who saw gaps in services for Spanish-speaking residents, according to the organization's website.

El Puente Hispano operates out of Ann Street United Methodist Church at 335 Ann Street NW in Concord. Its programs cover four areas: education, community empowerment, teen programs and health. One effort is a biweekly after-school tutoring program for Hispanic students in kindergarten through fifth grade, the Independent Tribune reported in May 2024.

The nonprofit's most visible project is the Concord International Festival, which El Puente Hispano launched with the City of Concord in October 2021. That first year drew more than 5,000 people to downtown Concord, with 50-plus countries represented across food, crafts and stage performances, according to city records.

By the second year, attendance had doubled to 8,000. The 2023 festival featured 62 countries and 21 food vendors, according to a separate city announcement.

The sixth annual festival is set for Saturday, Oct. 3, from noon to 6 p.m. in downtown Concord.

Admission is free.

Organizers expect around 80 vendors representing more than 55 countries, according to a Cabarrus Compass festival preview. Food vendors will line Market Street, arts and crafts booths will fill Union Street, and the main stage will sit beside the former Cabarrus County Courthouse near Union Street and Corban Avenue.

New this year: acts from Germany and the Laos region of Southeast Asia join the lineup, which also includes Mariachi Guadalupano from Mexico and the NC Brazilian Arts Project. For the second straight year, El Puente Hispano is giving $200 grants to participating cultural booths to help cover supplies.

"What I love about the Concord International Festival is the energy you feel throughout Downtown Concord," Marles said in the Sept. 22 preview. "You can hear music from different parts of the world, watch beautiful cultural performances, and enjoy food representing countries like Mexico, the Philippines, Nepal, Haiti, Korea, Jamaica, and more."

Beyond the festival, El Puente Hispano has shaped city policy. The City of Concord adopted a Language Access Plan in 2024 after a yearlong collaboration with the nonprofit and researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill, according to a city announcement. The plan noted that about 19.3% of Concord residents speak a language other than English, with Spanish, Hindi and American Sign Language the most common.

El Puente Hispano's offices at Ann Street United Methodist Church are open Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.

Upcoming community events:

  • Thursday, Oct. 1: RCCC ceramics show opens in Concord.
  • Saturday, Oct. 3: Concord International Festival, noon to 6 p.m., downtown Concord. Free admission.