DAPHNE, Ala. — In an effort to connect with members of the Hispanic community who might be unaware of the spate of services available to them, Community Action Agency will host a Hispanic Awareness Day from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

The informative sessions will take place at the social-service agency’s Daphne office at 26440 Pollard Road and are open to Hispanic residents in Baldwin, Escambia, Monroe, Clarke and Conecuh counties. Transportation will be provided for anyone in the agency’s five-county service area living outside of Baldwin County.

Executive Director Cassandra Boykin said myriad factors — especially language barriers and distance — make communicating on the agency’s services to the region’s expanding Hispanic community a challenge, but she hopes Saturday’s events will help close the gap for those residents in need of services.

“We just thought it was important to host this event and highlight everything we do because at this point all we know is there are people out there who qualify for our services who aren’t applying for them. We want to give them all of the information they need to help improve their conditions, especially during these difficult economic times,” she said.

Among the programs covered during Saturday’s sessions will be All Kids health insurance, utility assistance, home repairs and free tax preparation.

The 45-year-old self-help, social-service organization was created to help people and change lives, Boykin said, by offering “a hand up, not a handout.” And the federal stimulus funds released recently through the American Reinvestment Recovery Act are helping the five-county agency meet the rising demand for services.

Anyone interested in attending the event is asked to bring the following:

“We’re certain this opportunity will be beneficial and have a long-lasting and positive impact,” Boykin said.

Transportation will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, so anyone requiring these services or interested in obtaining additional information is asked to call 251-626-2646.