Latinos in Stamford, Connecticut, are helping immigrant families in the wealthy state get their feet off the ground.

Oscar Sandoval, who owns a restaurant and landscaping business with his wife Maria Isabel Sandoval, is one citizen helping by teaching others to make their way, just like he and his wife had to do when they came to the United States more than 20 years ago.

"It wasn't easy," Oscar told NBC News. "I started at the bottom and worked my way up. I mentor others who are starting out and let them know about my experience and help as many people as I can."

According to NBC, Stamford is home to "pronounced income disparities." The state was recently named the third richest in the country and has the highest percentage of households making more than $200,000. According to a 2012 Migration Policy Institute study cited by the website, over 500,000 Latinos -- many in the financial industry -- live in the state, representing about 14 percent of over 3.5 million residents.

The disparities in the state make it hard for immigrants, like Alex Pipantasi, who emigrated from Ecuador in 2005; Oscar hired him,

"[He] gave me valuable advice on how to treat clients and employees," Pipantasi said.

Now, Pipantasi has his own auto repair shop, where Oscar was his first customer.

"With his advice, I was able to get ahead and become more stable and be able to provide a better future for my family as well," Pipantasi said.

Neighbors Link, a Stamford-based nonprofit community center dedicated to "actively enhancing the healthy integration of immigrants," according to its website, also works to help the area's immigrant community.

"When you live in a community like Stamford, where almost 40 percent of the population is foreign born -- in an area where there is so much affluence and at the same time so many people work in service jobs -- it's an issue that directly affects the entire population of Fairfield County," said Catalina Samper Horak, who comes from Colombia and is the center's executive director.

The center opened in 2010 and has helped over 3,200 people with free classes on skills in things like computers, jobs, and English.

"Supporting this segment of the population, making sure they have a place where they feel comfortable ... was an idea that resonated with a lot of people," Samper Horak said.

The center does not get government funding, but is instead funded by philanthropists from the area.

"We need to help each other out, and not just in Stamford, but in the rest of the country as well," Oscar said.

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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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