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

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1/26/26

SSF Shelter Report

Holly Knight sent coffee and toothpaste via our Amazon wishlist, and Glen Kenoyer dropped off a bag of nice soaps, so Jan St Peters and I had the back seat full this morning when we headed to Sonoyta. Our favorite Mexican National Guardsman greeted us with, “Cerveza?” when we crossed into Mexico, glanced in the back (no cerveza😢) and waved us on our way. 

At Casa del Migrante of course we were greeted by happy dogs as well as guests. The cook showed us the part he had to buy yesterday for the propane tank, the manager showed us his eyelid which is healing well after last week’s minor surgery, M asked for a prescription refill and a belly band (preserving his manhood means he lifts things that are way too heavy and aggravates his hernia repair), W showed us the blankets he was drying on the line, and J (new guest) showed Jan his big toe, which is swollen to twice its normal size. He also had a prescription for us. 

Whew! after getting the propane tank refilled, we took the cook to lunch at La Stanza. While we waited for our meal, the cook and I slipped next door to the pharmacy and got one prescription and the belly band. The toe prescription was evidently for treatment, not medication. Since J has no identification, it will be harder for him to be seen at the clinic. I’m not sure what the solution is yet.

After lunch, we searched several pharmacies for Epsom salts, thinking at least J could soak his toe. Epsom salts are not a thing in Sonoyta, we found out, so when we shopped at Bodega Aurrera grocery store, the cook picked up several bags of regular salt. There had just been a run on tortillas, so we had to wait for the tortilla machine to catch up and make a new batch. They were so warm and fragrant when we picked them up! When we pushed our full buggies into the parking lot, two street dogs, a mama who had recently given birth and a young male, looked so hungry. Jan had a bag of dog food in her truck, a container, and water for an occasion just like this. Mama dog ate three bowls full and the male ate two. At least for today they had full bellies. And that’s a good way to end this week’s report.

Hug someone hard and don’t let the bastards grind you down. 

Carol

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1/19/26

SSF Shelter Report

Jan St Peters drove and I rode shotgun as we traveled to Sonoyta this morning. We had donations of food from Blue Armadillos Search and Rescue via Gene O’Meara, a mini fridge from Gordon Krum, and requested Metamucil and a blood pressure cuff with us as we crossed the border. The same agent we had last week (cerveza?) inspected the truck, and when he saw the mini fridge, his eyes lit up. “Nuevo?” he asked. We explained it was a donation for Casa Del Migrante shelter in Sonoyta, but he caressed the outside of the fridge, opened its little door, and gazed inside, saying it was perfect for his cuarto (room). ‘Sorry, it’s a donation for migrants,” we told him. He smiled and waved us on. No tariff!

At CDM the guests were still a little chilly from the early morning coolness. Several were sitting in the sun, wearing their jackets. M sat by a wall, enjoying the reflected heat. He tried to show us his stitches (thank goodness there was a bandage over them). Tomorrow the cook will take him to get them removed. He said he still has a little pain but has a prescription. W was washing up the pots at the handmade sink. He cut his hair - the cook told us later he put a bowl over his head and shaved off everything below the bowl. I don’t think he’s given up his dream of traveling to Mexico City, but he didn’t mention it. Gallo says he may go back to ranch work in mid February. He asked about Lynne Charles and Susanna Dewey as we walked arm in arm to the truck, where the cook was waiting with his bags and list, ready to shop.

Over lunch at Lupita’s Taqueria, we talked about the manager’s and cook’s upcoming birthdays (Feb 15 and 16, respectively). The cook would like chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. We’ll have to check the manager’s preferences, too. Reina, the proprietress of Lupita’s, explained a little more about expired money as she checked Jan’s pesos. Jan ended up donating two expired bills to Reina’s money wall. Jan is now famous in Sonoyta, as Reina attached a note to the pesos!

After lunch we stopped at the pharmacy to pick up 2 otc meds for guests. On our way back to the car, we encountered a woman with her 2 school age children. She was selling lollipops, and the cook asked if I would buy one, which he promptly gave to the little boy. As we got in the car, he told us he’d heard the boy tell his mom he was hungry. Then he remembered the buñuelos Reina had packed for us, and he ran after the mother and her children to give the buñuelos to them❤️. 

At Bodega Aurrera the Mexican National Guard was parked with their camo truck and men guarding the vehicle with their big guns. Inside, several guardsmen were grocery shopping, and it was pretty weird to see them pushing shopping carts with their sub machine guns clipped to their harnesses and hanging by their sides. One guy let me take his photo, and another tried to strike up a conversation with me while I was looking at the breakfast rolls, but my brain froze and all I could make out was ‘barato’ (cheap). I hoped he was talking about the rolls and said, “Yes, for 10 pieces!” in my pitiful accent. Then I scooted back to where Jan and the cook were picking out vegetables. 

When we pulled up to CDM with the truckload of food, the guests and dogs came out to help unload. After helping put away the groceries, we talked with the manager. Today at 4 he will have the growth on his upper eyelid removed. He’s nervous because he hates needles, but he’ll be glad to have that lump gone. Jan brought him a blood pressure cuff and showed him how to use it. The doctor was concerned about his high blood pressure at his last clinic visit. Tomorrow morning he’ll go and get bloodwork done before he has his morning coffee. Hopefully he just has white coat syndrome! 

We left CDM and called out to Carlos, the always cheerful homeless man who lives on the corner with his two dogs. I don’t know if a sleeping bag would be a good thing for him or if he’d just sell it (also possibly a good thing?). We drove across the border with a bittersweet feeling as always. There are so many good people in that little town we’ve gotten to know, all trying to get by - which is no different than any of us. 

Hug someone and don’t let the bastards grind you down. Tomorrow, January 20 at 2 pm wherever you are, walk out. There is likely a protest or a rally nearby. 

Carol

Thank you, Muffet Rowe, for last week’s donations of food!

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1/5/26

Hello Everyone! I hope all of you are well and enjoying time with loved ones. Here in Ajo, we are enjoying the quiet after the holidays and balancing news-viewing 😬 with trips out in the beautiful Sonoran Desert. 

2025 was a busy year for Samaritanos Sin Fronteras. Thanks to our supporters, SSF provided funds for ultrasounds, removal of a benign cyst in a CDM guest’s shoulder, dental extractions for 3 guests, dentures for 2 guests, treatment for amoebic dysentery, antibiotics for an extensive infection of the manager’s upper jaw and sinus, treatment for prostate issues, and over-the counter and prescription medications.

We were also able to purchase a new hot water heater and a new toilet for Casa Del Migrante, essential for health and comfort. 

With our weekly grocery runs, accompanied by CDM’s cook who made a list each week of needed items, we were able to buy food to supply approximately 5,840 meals, including special meal celebrations for Easter, Mexican Independence Day, and Christmas Eve. As part of the Christmas Eve celebration, due to generous donations, each guest received a complete set of new clothes in appropriate sizes: a warm jacket, pants, long-sleeved t-shirt, button-down long-sleeved shirt, underwear, socks, shoes, warm gloves, and a knitted hat, plus there was a fun raffle where each guest won a prize of his choice from food items and extra clothing. 

Animals: as of December, there are 9 dogs at CDM and 1 desert tortoise. SSF, vía Karla Vásquez and Clinica Esperanza, has had 8 of the 9 dogs spayed or neutered. The dogs have also had their shots, and SSF provides their food. If you’re looking for a good dog…..

SSF helped the shelter at the beginning of the year with an invasion of ticks and at mid-year with an invasion of bedbugs, providing chemicals and applicators to rid the shelter of creepy-crawlies. We also provided fly strips and mouse traps for ongoing pest control.

When a former CDM guest needed to return to his home country of Honduras to care for his ailing brother, SSF was able to help him with travel funds, and when a former resident of Casa San Pedro migrant shelter (now closed) whose family entered the US legally seeking asylum had a family member deported and subsequently murdered, SSF supporters raised funds to transport the body from Guadalajara to Guerrero, his mother’s home town, bringing a sad closure to an awful and unnecessary tragedy. 

We are continually amazed at the resilience and kindness of those we encounter at Casa Del Migrante, and at the generosity and support of good people all over the world. You are truly making a difference in the lives of folks who, for whatever reason, can’t reach home. People eat healthy food because of you, they have a comfortable place to stay, clean clothing, medical and dental care, and canine companions (and a tortoise!) to give them affection while they are deciding what to do next. Life is better for guests at Casa Del Migrante because of your support. Thank you.

Attached is our revenue statement for 2025.

Happy New Year, everyone, and don’t let the bastards grind you down. Together we can affect change❤️

- Carol​

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Note: If you are able, please consider a donation either via our website donate button, via Zelle [Samaritanos Sin Fronteras (413)695-9571], or as a check made out to Samaritanos Sin Fronteras/121 Rocalla Ave/Ajo, AZ 85321. Thank you for your continued support.

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Checks can be made out to 

Samaritanos Sin Fronteras 

c/o Doug Schnare, treasurer 

121 Rocalla Ave

Ajo, AZ 85321

Or we can accept Zelle (National Bank of Arizona) or PayPal on our website www.samsinfront.com) 

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Samaritanos Sin Fronteras Amazon wishlist:

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.

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