Media Center

All the Latest

Want more details about what we do? Scroll below to find stories and the latest updates about how our work is helping make an impact. We invite you to learn more about our efforts and help spread the word about our important cause.

Note: asylum seekers and other migrants encountered at the shelters are referred to by an initial to protect their privacy and safety.

​

12/2/24

SSF Shelter Report 

Today’s visit to the shelter in Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico was very short and concise.  Muffet Rowe in Ajo, Arizona gave Kathi Sikora some canned food to bring.  Doug Schnare brought some old survival packs containing toothpaste, a toothbrush, soap, towel, etc. Samaritanos Sin Fronteras volunteers Kathi and Carl Sikora and Doug had no trouble crossing into Mexico with the donations.

At Casa Del Migrante migrant shelter, the manager and cook both pointed out that their microwave has stopped working and they hope Samaritanos Sin Fronteras can replace it.  

The manager showed the volunteers Canela’s last picture (she was put to sleep November 22 when her kidneys began to fail). The men were very upset but felt it was the kindest thing they could do for her. The other perritos are growing fast and furious.  Azul, the pup with one blue eye, is calming ever so slightly.  

There were two grocery store visits, to Bodega Aurrera where the bulk of the groceries were purchased to feed the guests at Casa Del Migrante this week and to Super Ley (the cook doesn’t like this store as much because it’s often crowded) for tortillas because the tortilla making machine at Bodega Aurrerá was broken. When the machine is working, it’s a wonder to see the tortillas go through the process of turning from lumps of dough to warm rounds of goodness!   

*****************************************

11/19/24

SSF Shelter Report 

Trini Griffith in Ajo, AZ donated warm baby clothes in sizes 3-9 months, and after asking Centro de Esperanza resource center director Karla Betancourt if folks at CDE could use the clothes (“Si - Ooo, wow, preciosa!” was her response), SSF volunteers Doug Schnare, Abbey Carpenter, and Carol Wingo crossed the border to Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico this morning with 2 suitcases filled with baby clothes and men’s requested coats. They were waved right through at the border (go figure - the rules change each week!).

After delivering the baby clothes to CDE, directors Aaron and Karla took the volunteers on a tour of the new dormitories a block from CDE which are almost complete. The rooms are each named after children who stayed at CDE and took a piece of the directors’ hearts with them. Each room holds 2 bunk bed sets, and the window ledge outside each room holds a flower in a pot. Men were mixing cement on the ground to form sidewalks outside the rooms during the visit, and on a fruit tree in the courtyard hung ripening grapefruit.

At Casa Del Migrante shelter Doug, Abbey, and Carol spoke with the manager about Canela, the dog with tick fever. The manager had to make an emergency run to Puerto Peñasco yesterday because of her swollen stomach. The vet there drained the fluid and is keeping her for several days. The other dogs are doing well, and the puppies are thriving. They love to follow people around, so it’s important to look down frequently while walking to avoid stepping on puppy toes or worse. 

After taking the cook grocery shopping and to pick up a prescription at a pharmacy, the volunteers took him to lunch at La Cocina de Yesi. He said he has never been to the United States but has lived in Sinaloa and San Luis Río Colorado before arriving at Casa Del Migrante in Sonoyta. He is 58 years old and learned English in secondary school (which is not free in Mexico), where he said he had lessons for an hour a day every school day for three years. He used to write everything down in a notebook, he said, and on tests he would usually get a 6 or 7 out of 10 - not so much in math, though. He enjoys watching shows and reading about animals and has a collection of National Geographics in Spanish, which he keeps on a bookshelf in the dormitory. He’s very organized and kind-hearted, and he’s beginning to open up more these days. 

Who knows what awaits these men and the families at CDE in the coming months? For now SSF will be concentrating on the upcoming Christmas season. Everyone needs coats, blankets, hats, and gloves in this chilly weather. 

Our Amazon wishlist link is  

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/6SDJCN1N0XMX?ref_=wl_share

or if you’re in Ajo and have donations, contact one of the members of SSF who will be glad to deliver them. We all make a difference.

-Carol

P. S. Samaritanos Sin Fronteras will have a t-shirt fundraiser in the near future - stay tuned!

​