By Marlene Miller
On August 24th, I attended a vigil outside of the Delaney Hall detention center coordinated by several coalition partners including Pax Christie NJ and First Friends. Our coalition partners were so grateful for the Immigration Justice Reform Task Force’s (IJTF) donation of $500 worth of Shoprite gift cards! Volunteers were able to hand the cards out to folks visiting their loved ones, and our donation made up almost 3/4ths of the grocery cards donated that day. They thanked me so many times for bringing these cards, and it was a great opportunity for me to meet other folks who share our interests. I highly recommend going to help out if you can! Although folks were in and out of the detention center the whole time I was there, at the time I was leaving there was a line of about 60 visitors waiting to see their loved ones.
We are making a difference. I saw smiles on children’s faces. I saw adults who didn’t have to skip breakfast that day. We still have work to do to shut down the detention center entirely, but making it a less horrible experience for the families who’ve been separated is a step in the right direction.
If you are interested in participating in the daily vigils, send an email to admin@uufaithaction.org and we will connect you with the folks coordinating the volunteers. There is a special need for Spanish speakers!