Community United of North Arcata brings Valley West residents bilingual resources
Community United of North Arcata (CUNA) is a bilingual community-led organization in North Arcata/Valley West founded by volunteers. CUNA aims to create opportunities for the community of North Arcata and give them a platform to voice issues that are specific to their needs. CUNA’s “boots on the ground” approach has led to collaboration between residents, local businesses and city government, with the focus of enhancing the quality of life for the Valley West community.
“We were born during the pandemic in response to COVID, and what we saw was that the Spanish speaking community had fallen between the cracks because of the language barrier,” said Vice-Mayor and Arcata City Councilmember Kimberly White.
White is one of the founders and co-coordinator of CUNA, she has lived in Valley West for 20 years. CUNA’s policy is to make everything they do bilingual and safe for all members of the community.
“I really feel like we are building a bridge to the city,” White said. “[CUNA] just sort of filled the gap, not just for the Spanish speaking community but we have the students who can’t afford to live high on the hill or in the dorm or downtown Arcata. We have most of the affordable housing, almost all of the mobile home parks, and most of the unhoused live out here.”
According to White the residents of North Arcata represent some of the city’s most vulnerable populations who often feel neglected by the City of Arcata’s plans and infrastructure. CUNA has hosted community trash cleanups of parks and sidewalks, vaccination clinics, artisan markets, family friendly events and mural painting. In 2022 they adopted Carlson Park, which has the only Mad River access point in the City.
Jazmin Ortiz Uribe, a Social Work major at CPH, found CUNA while looking for an organization to volunteer for in fall of 2024, and has continued to be involved ever since.
“I really hope to continue to see more of our Latinx community come to our events and hopefully feel super safe with us and like this is for them as well… I want to let them know that we’re here for you guys and we want to make sure that you guys are feeling welcome in this space,” Ortiz Uribe said.
Resilience Hub
Last November CUNA acquired a home at 4700 East Valley West, and used funds from a PG&E $100,000 grant awarded to its physical sponsor Playhouse Arts to establish a “Resilience HUB”, which during emergencies will serve as a center where residents can access emergency supplies, charge devices, let family and friends know they are safe and to keep each other updated on next steps. Throughout the year the Resilience HUB is hosting other programs and disaster preparedness events, all of them will be bilingual.
CUNA also provides resources which address food scarcity, including a future Food Pantry and a monthly Farmer’s Market/Food Stand with affordable produce from local farms. They recently hosted an eight week Nutrition Food Demo, which included free ingredients and instructions on how to prepare healthy and affordable meals at home.
The organization also received a $25,000 ARPA grant and held a participatory budget for Valley West residents. The participatory budget is the first of its kind in Humboldt County; all of the funds will be spent on events and programs the Valley West community voted for.
Some of these are already established and held weekly, such as Xtreme Baile Terapis, a dance/yoga class taught by Dr. Jorge Matías every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., while other events are held monthly, including Teen Meetups and free cooking classes taught by local chefs. All of these events are free or donation based.
“So many people don’t know about it, but [CUNA] is such a great melting pot,” said Daniel Malloy, an Arcata resident who lived in Valley West for 12 years. Malloy regularly volunteers with CUNA and attends various programs and events.
“It brings us all together and helps us despite differences… It’s been really good for trying to get people together and step across cultural and social boundaries,” Malloy said.
Other upcoming events will take place in May and June, with dates still to be decided. These will include a Tianguis (Latinx-stylefleamarket), a Food Truck Festival featuring a variety of international foods, Movies at the Park and Music in the Park. A full breakdown of the participatory budget and planned events and services is available on CUNA’s website.
More information about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities contact CUNA.
CUNA’s website: https://www.cunacomestogether.com/
