EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — With a growing Hispanic and Latino population, Monroe County is bustling with businesses that reflect those cultures.
Local non-profit Flecha works to connect the community year-round inspiring success.
"Los morros is a colloquial way in Mexico to refer to kids," said David Cuacuas from Tacos Los Morros.
Inside Tacos Los Morros you'll find a younger crowd at the helm of the kitchen.
"It's me my brother my sister, and my cousin who works here sometimes too, we're all like really young so I thought it was a fitting name," says Cuacuas.
24-year-old David Cuacuas the proud owner of Tacos Los Morros. Opened the family restaurant in May of 2023.
After moving to Stroudsburg, Cuacuas saw a real need for authentic Mexican food.
"We saw an opportunity there and decided let's open a restaurant," stated Cuacuas.
Hispanic Heritage MonthThe restaurant is just one of many in the community the non-profit Flecha supports.
"Flecha has dedicated itself to connecting people with their origin and their roots," added Anthony Stevens-Arroyo from Flecha.
With more than 20 members the group embraces all Latino & Hispanic cultures at once.
"We are so diverse, it's so beautiful," continued Dr. Marilyn M. Brown from Flecha.
The non-profit connects communities with each other providing information and resources to those who move to the area breaking through the language barrier.
"One of our initiatives is to get our information out there in Spanish so people in the community can also get the right information that can be offered to them," explained Adria Laboy the President of Flecha.
"It's more like what flecha does for me. It gives me a space, not just a safe space but a brave space to a Latina unapologetically," said Dr. Brown.
The group creates and distributes informational pieces like this one so patrons of area restaurants can learn about their history and cultures.
"And then there's a QR code, with their phones because we're very modern, to connect them with our website to find out our activities and our projections," mentioned Stevens-Arroyo.
Music and food are the two main avenues Flecha connects with the community.
One of the biggest events in the area is the Pocono Latin Fest founded in 2014.
"We wanted to have a place and time where we could get together and celebrate our culture," says Edwin Prudencio, founder of Pocono Latin Fest.
"It's pretty exciting to see that in a smaller geographic area, there is such diversity," noted Dr. Damary Bonaila from Flecha.
Through performances, music, dance, and food Pocono Latin Fest celebrates all cultures of Latin America and beyond.
"A lot of times the lack of knowledge is what keeps us apart because we're afraid of what we don't know. Then we find our differences don't really divide us," said Prudencio.
Flecha's number one goal is to connect with the community no matter your culture.
They like to promote us, they put us on social media, you can tell they really care about us and they're really putting in an effort to connect the whole community. I really appreciate that and I hope other people really appreciate that," explained Cuacuas.
"It helps the community explore the world without even leaving the area, and in addition to that it helps the Latino community that is within the community feel welcome," said Laboy.
Flecha meets monthly, for more information visit their website.