Church leaders use supermarkets as gateway to COVID-19 vaccines for Hispanic community

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — There was another major push Saturday to ensure everyone can receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Dozens of people lined up in their cars in Azalea Park, as volunteers worked to make sure that members of Orlando’s Hispanic community are vaccinated.

This was one of the first efforts in Central Florida where church members utilized supermarkets, like the Sedano’s on Semoran Boulevard, to get more Latinos access to the vaccine.

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“Our church has too many COVID funerals,” said Father Jose Rodriguez of Christ the King Episcopal Church. “We’ve had too many parishioners get sick.”

Iglesia Episcopal Jesus de Nazaret is located in predominantly Latino, Azalea Park, in the middle of a ZIP code that has consistently been a COVID-19 hot spot.

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Organizers said around 500 people received their shot in the church parking lot today.

They did it by abandoning the online process that had challenged so many seniors.

Instead, they went to the nearby Sedano’s and Bravo supermarkets to register people 65 and older using pen and paper.

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Gov. Ron DeSantis said his administration is counting on churches to be able to reach communities that the state’s mass vaccination efforts haven’t.

See the full report in the video above.

Cox Media Group