Diane Bowden, RFM’s liaison to the American Friends Service Committee, will inform the community on recent actions of the AFSC during a program at 9:30 am on August 16 in the community room. Among the questions to be addressed: What is AFSC doing regarding the immigration crisis? How might we as a community be helpful? All are welcome to attend. The Race and Racial Justice Team, sponsors of the event, will provide coffee and muffins.
Care is Resistance
Food Boxes for Our Neighbors: Health Brigade is collecting culturally appropriate food boxes for Latine and Afghan immigrant patients and families. Many families are experiencing a new level of food insecurity as they are avoiding grocery stores and public spaces out of concern for increased ICE presence. These boxes can offer relief and a reminder that people care.
Lists of items requested for each culture are on each box. Please bring any thing you can to Meeting and place it in the boxes outside the Meeting room. Name brands or generic products are welcome. Rhonda Ligon will collect your donations and develop the boxes for each family to be delivered to Health Brigade.
Items may be purchased in many grocery stores. It is extremely helpful to the immigrant community to support a local business, such as Arco Iris Latino Market or Mis Pais Mart for Latin items, or Mantu Market and Watan Market for Afghan products. There are Latin and Afghan wishlists to be found on Amazon and Walmart online sites.
Join Peace & Social Concerns Committee for lunch and fundraising for the Sacred Heart Center on July 12 at rise of meeting.
“Since 1990, the Sacred Heart Center has stood as a vibrant hub of hope and opportunity for Latino families in Richmond. Our mission is simple yet powerful—-to connect families with the tools, education, and support they need to thrive. Through empowerment, learning, and community connection, we create pathways to success and belonging for all.
“In Fiscal Year 2025, the Sacred Heart Center proudly served 9,558 community members through our core programs and initiatives—-a reflection of the trust and generosity of our donors, volunteers, and partners like you.”
If you have been looking for ways to stand with our immigrant neighbors as they face harassment and possible arrest and deportation, the Immigrant Solidarity Informal Committee (under the care of the Race and Racial Justice Team) has developed this guide to help you find volunteer opportunities in the Richmond area in immigrant-led and immigrant-facing organizations. Contact information is provided if you are led to pursue one of these opportunities.
To assist with immigration guidance and updates, here are two resources. There are more, but these two are referenced by other sites on immigration justice, and provide help on this non-static concern. These sites are the National Immigration Law Center https://www.nilc.org/ and the Immigration Legal Resource Center https://www.ilrc.org/.