Catholic Charities in San Antonio is collecting and donating supplies to a relief center for immigrants run by its sister agency, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.
The respite center, housed in Sacred Heart parish, is run by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, the charitable branch of the Diocese of Brownsville.
With the help of volunteers, the Humanitarian Respite Center has assisted more than 100,000 immigrants seeking refuge in the US since its opening, according to Catholic Charities.
The respite center has acted as a “first stop” for immigrants for years, said a July 10 article in the San Antonio Express-News.
Especially with the recent controversy surrounding immigration policy and separation of families, the public has been observing border activity with particular interest. A few weeks ago, five bishops visited the border and spent time at Rio Grande’s Humanitarian Respite Center to learn more about the situation, hearing many immigrants’ personal stories.
“These are all human beings here,” Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston said in a July 2 press conference. The bishops also emphasized prayer and urgent action against immigration policies that allow for disunion of families.
San Antonio’s Catholic Charities is asking for the following donations: “bottled water; non-perishable food such as canned corn, beans, potatoes and carrots; new women’s clothing sizes 2 to 6; new men’s pants, waist sizes up to 28 inches; new children’s clothing; and reusable shopping bags,” according to the Express-News. They are also accepting monetary donations for the cause, and they have requested more volunteers.
J. Antonio Fernández, chief of San Antonio Catholic Charities, will also accompany a truck full of supplies and food to Rio Grande. Called “Hope,” the Express-News article reported, “it was purchased in the aftermath of the archdiocese’s aid efforts during Hurricane Harvey.”
