El Centro Hispano in White Plains has always had an outsized mission — answering to the needs of a  growing population of Spanish-speaking immigrants. The agency started up in 1973 at St. Bernard’s Church, providing referrals and information. This week the organization is inviting the parish to celebrate the recent expansion of its offices, carried out with $275,000 in private donations and a lot of volunteer labor.

The main improvement is the new computer room and remodeled offices. The adjoining church hall, where Centro Hispano holds events and discussions, was refurbished also. The nonprofit agency rents its office from the Archdiocese of New York. It received no grant money for the expansion.

Executive Director Isabel Villar (below) described how the office has expanded by a few feet at a time over the last three decades, eventually taking over what used to be a closet.

Villar joined St. Bernard’s in 1966 as a recent immigrant. “When I came from Cuba,” she said, “this was my shelter.”

Judith Aucar, the assistant director (below), is also a Cuban immigrant. The clients have shifted from the Cuban and Puerto Rican families who came in the 1960s to the South Americans, Mexicans and Dominicans who came in later immigrant waves. The center is home to bilingual Scout troops, English classes and visiting speakers. The idea was to help integrate the Hispanic community and bring information to its prime gathering spot, the church.

White Plains is about 32 percent foreign-born, and 29 percent Hispanic, according to the latest census estimate. It’s also home to the countywide Westchester Hispanic Coalition, a much larger nonprofit that provides services in health, immigration, community advocacy and housing, and operates a Port Chester hiring site.

Below is the new computer room, where classes began in May for adults and seniors (16-week sessions for adults, 9-week sessions for seniors). The room also serves as a drop-in center for homework assistance after school. The computers, like those at the White Plains Public Library, link to the school district’s network.

There’s more info at the center’s web site.