Adopt A Shelter Project - Assistance to Asylum Seekers in Las Cruces and El Paso

Please see list of items needed below - Donations must be at Nahalat Shalom by April 27

The Diocese of Las Cruces operates five shelters in New Mexico to provide Central American asylum speakers released by ICE with hospitality, food, clothing, and assistance with travel. They work closely with Anunciación House in El Paso to assist hundreds of families every week, including babies and children of all ages with their parents. The shelters are run mostly by volunteers and rely on people to donate clothing, toiletries, etc. to give the refugees basic items since most of them have only the clothes on their backs. Organization in Albuquerque and Santa Fe have committed to "adopt a shelter" and provide items the shelters desperately need to give each refugee food, a new set of clothing, toiletries and toys for the children. Nahalat Shalom is sponsoring Oak Tree and Annunciation House and collecting specific donations during the month of April in conjunction with our Gallery theme of "Welcome! We were strangers too!". There will be donation bins in the outer office.

Contact Dena for more information at office@nahalatshalom.org or 343-8227.

Please only bring the requested items since storage space is very limited:

ONGOING NEEDS

  • Medical: aackages of dry powder Pedialite. A few bottles of infant Tylenol or Advil or whatever you give to babies under a year. Dramamine or other travel medical for nausea.

  • Small men’s clothes: small pants and jeans, shirts, light jackets and hoodies, COLORED UNDERWEAR size small

  • Small women’s clothes size small and medium: small pants and jeans, shirts, light jackets, COLORED UNDERWEAR size small

  • Little boy and little girl everything size 3 - 10: tops, bottoms, jeans, , shirts, light children's jackets sizes COLORED UNDERWEAR

  • Teen boy and girl everything size 3 - 10: tops, bottoms, jeans and athletic pants, shirts, light children's jacket, COLORED UNDERWEAR

  • SHOES! Of every kind and size.

  • Men's razors

  • 2 car seats -no preference on type, just adjustable ones

  • 2 booster seats

  • Large bottles of shampoo and Soap

  • Travel sized toothpaste

  • Small stuffed toys, coloring books and crayons, and balls.

  • Children's educational books in which they can practice writing letters and numbers

  • Snack food for their journey: they often don't like granola bars but they prefer beef jerky, peanut butter crackers, and small sweet things like fruit snacks and Little Debbie oatmeal creme pies.