Resource list compiled for the Interfaith Prayer Service for the Children
Providing Direct Help for Those in Need
HUMANITARIAN RESPITE CENTER
http://catholiccharitiesrgv.org/HumanitarianRespiteCenter.shtml
The Humanitarian Crisis Relief was an effort which began in 2014 due to the influx of immigrants crossing the border who didn’t have an adequate place to rest.
The center provides a place for the countless men, women, children, and infant refugees to rest, have a warm meal, a shower, and change into clean clothing as well as receive medicine and other supplies, before continuing onto their journey.
The Humanitarian Respite Center, overseen by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, has moved from the Sacred Heart Church Parish Hall and is now located at 1721 Beaumont Ave. (corner of Beaumont Ave. and South 18th Street).
This is a collaborative effort made possible by Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, the City of McAllen and countless volunteers from all over the U.S. and other countries. The number of immigrants assisted can vary from 50 to 200 a day.
Please check this website regularly for updates and announcements on how you can help.
How You Can Help
Your donations to help these families are welcomed and appreciated
Volunteers are still needed for various onsite tasks, throughout the day and night. For information on how you or your group can help, please call Catholic Charities at 956-702-4088 or access the Volunteer page
We have established a partnership with the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) to better store and manage items needed for this humanitarian crisis. For additional information regarding drop off locations and a list of items needed, please access the Items Needed page.
The items listed below will be updated regularly. For more information, please refer to Catholic Charities of The RGV
- Toiletries for men and women (deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs, etc)
- Shoes (sandals, tennis shoes, loafers, etc) for men, women, children and infants of all sizes
- Clothes (pants, t-shirts, blouses, underclothing, etc) for children and adults of all sizes
- Baby supplies for toddlers (Pampers, baby wipes, baby bottles, etc.)
- Sealed snack food (granola bars, chips, peanut butter & cheese crackers, etc)
- Gift cards to purchase food items
- Phone cards Drawstring knapsacks for sandwiches, snacks and water
- Rosaries
http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/
Organizations mobilizing help
Note: Many of the groups listed below have been aggregated at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kidsattheborder
The Women’s Refugee Commission has aggregated five actions everyone can take that go beyond donating funds.
https://www.womensrefugeecommission.org/rights/resources/1648-five-actions-you-can-take-to-help-end-family-separation-and-support-families
- If you’re an immigration lawyer, the American Immigration Lawyers Association will be sending around a volunteer list for you to help represent the women and men with their asylum screening, bond hearings, ongoing asylum representation, etc. Please sign up. https://twitter.com/AILANational
- Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project works to prevent the deportation of asylum-seeking families fleeing violence. The group accepts donations and asks people to sign up for volunteer opportunities https://asylumadvocacy.org/
- The Austin Bar Association Civil Right and Immigration Section is coordinating training for pro bono attorneys to handle credible fear interviews for asylum seekers http://www.austinbar.org/event/responding-to-zero-tolerance-credible-fear-and-immigration-bond-hearing-training/
- Al Otro Lado is a binational organization that works to offer legal services to deportees and migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, including deportee parents whose children remain in the U.S. https://alotrolado.org/
- American Gateways provides legal services and representation to separated parents. It’s currently seeking volunteers to represent detained parents who’ve been separated from their children. http://www.americangateways.org/get-involved/
- CARA—a consortium of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, the American Immigration Council, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association—provides legal services at family detention centers. http://caraprobono.org/
- Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley shelters immigrants who’ve recently been released from U.S. Border Patrol custody. http://catholiccharitiesrgv.org/HumanitarianRespiteCenter.shtml
- Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services is the largest provider of free and low cost immigration services in West Texas and says it’s the only organization in El Paso serving unaccompanied children. http://www.dmrs-ep.org/get-involved/
- The Florence Project is an Arizona project offering free legal services to men, women, and unaccompanied children in immigration custody. https://firrp.org/
- Human Rights First is a national organization with roots in Houston that needs help from lawyers too. https://twitter.com/humanrights1st
- Kids in Need of Defense works to ensure that kids do not appear in immigration court without representation, and to lobby for policies that advocate for children’s legal interests. https://supportkind.org/about/
- The El Paso-based Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center provides legal representation to immigrants who might not be able to afford it otherwise. It’s accepting volunteers and donations. http://las-americas.org/
- The Legal Aid Justice Center is a Virginia-based center providing unaccompanied minors legal services and representation. https://www.justice4all.org/
- Pueblo Sin Fronteras is an organization that provides humanitarian aid and shelter to migrants on their way to the U.S. http://www.pueblosinfronteras.org/
- RAICES is the largest immigration nonprofit in Texas offering free and low-cost legal services to immigrant children and families. In addition, the #postcards4families campaign will donate $5 to RAICES for every postcard kids write to help the separated immigrant children. https://www.raicestexas.org/
Office Location
817-717-9377 :: 4200 South Freeway, Suite 702 :: Fort Worth, TX 76115
Jennifer de Haro, Managing Attorney
Walk-In Appointments
M-TH, arrive by 8AM
Services -Removal Defense :: Unaccompanied Children :: Low-Cost Legal Services :: DACA
- South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project is providing free legal services to asylum seekers detained in South Texas. https://bit.ly/2tl77Id
- The Texas Civil Rights Project is seeking “volunteers who speak Spanish, Mam, Q’eqchi’ or K’iche’ and have paralegal or legal assistant experience.” https://texascivilrightsproject.org/keepfamiliestogether-volunteer/
- Together Rising is another Virginia-based organization that’s helping provide legal assistance for 60 migrant children who were separated from their parents and are currently detained in Arizona. https://togetherrising.org/
- The Urban Justice Center’s Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project is working to keep families together. https://asylumadvocacy.org/
- Women’s Refugee Commission advocates for the rights and protection of women, children, and youth fleeing violence and persecution. https://www.womensrefugeecommission.org/
- CLINIC’s Defending Vulnerable Populations project offers case assistance to hundreds of smaller organizations all over the country that do direct services for migrant families and children. https://cliniclegal.org/defending-vulnerable-populations
- American Immigrant Representation Project (AIRP), which works to secure legal representation for immigrants. https://www.immigrationjustice.us/about/airp
- Justice for Our Neighbors provides free and low-cost legal services to immigrant individuals and families in Texas. http://jfonhouston.org/
- The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is looking for more child advocates to visit the immigrant kids inside the detention centers weekly and accompany them to immigration proceedings. It is also raising money for advocates who will deal specifically with family separation cases. It also is training adults who want to become “child advocates” who will work one-on-one with unaccompanied immigrant children while they are subject to deportation proceedings. https://www.theyoungcenter.org/
- Together Rising is collecting money that’ll go to advocacy groups that are working to reunify immigrant children with their families. https://togetherrising.org/
- Tahirih Justice Center is providing free legal and social services to immigrant women and girls fleeing gender-based violence. http://www.tahirih.org/
List of needs from Catholic Charities in Fort Worth.
They are receiving some of these children.
“We are incredibly grateful for any monetary donation. This kind of donation enables our organization to not only help the Unaccompanied Children, but also furthers our mission to end poverty in our community. 90 cents of every dollar donated goes directly back into our programs, like the Unaccompanied Children program. We will also happily accept gift cards of any amount to Wal-Mart or Target.”
Create a Welcome Box
We will accept any of the items listed below as an individual item or a part of a kit.
Activity Box Items
1 plastic shoebox-size container
- Chapstick
- puzzles
- washcloths
- composition book
- stress ball
- playing cards/card games/magic cards
- coloring books/activity books
- crayons/map pencils
- mechanical pencils
- Hot Wheel cars
- Barbie doll(s)
- small bibles (English or Spanish)
- 1 nail polish
Hygiene/Welcome Box Items
1 plastic shoebox-sized container
- 1 Lubriderm/Gold Bond/Eucerin lotion for extremely dry skin
- 1 shampoo
- 1 conditioner
- 1 body wash/bar soap
- 1 tube of toothpaste
- 1 toothbrush
- 1 brush/comb
- 1 pack of hair ties
- 1 deodorant
- 1 small toy
- English/Spanish flashcards
- addition, subtraction, multiplication flash cards
Drop Off Information
249 Thornhill Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76115
Monday – Thursday
8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.