Holidays highlight the needs of migrants in Denver
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Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
The immediate needs of migrants landing in Denver this time of year from the southern U.S. border are obvious: warm coats, shoes, hats and gloves.
Yes, but: The holiday season only amplifies the needs, particularly for the migrant families making the city their new home and struggling to find work.
Driving the news: Local charitable organizations are scrambling to provide holiday joy to the newcomers by expanding housing as well as "adopt-a-family" and meal donation programs this season.
- Right now, the demand exceeds the contributions, a number of charitable organizations tell Axios Denver.
By the numbers: Catholic Charities of Denver is helping 4,000 individuals β mostly parents and children β through its adopt-a-family program, including an increasing number of migrants, spokesperson Stacy Baum tells John. About 80 individuals were still looking for matches with donors.
- Even small nonprofits, such as Amigas in Action, which supports families enrolled at two schools and a nursery in Denver, are seeing increased demand from migrants, says founder Kate Silverman.
The intrigue: The escalating need for assistance this holiday doesn't just apply to newcomers.
- The Salvation Army says it hopes to collect 10,000 toys for children in need in the metro area when its Angel Tree program launches Friday β and just about all of them will go to families who have lived in the community for years.
What they're saying: "These are [families] who had full-time jobs that took care of themselves that didn't expect to find themselves in this situation," the organization's Laura Wilson tells us.
- "The need continues to go up, so we have to work that much harder and ask for that much more money," she adds.
π John's thought bubble: Through Amigas in Action, my wife and I offered to help a local family this holiday. We were given a mother and daughter who arrived here in June after traveling from Venezuela.
- The mother tells us in a letter that they nearly died on the journey after getting sick from dirty water, but came because "the situation in [their] country had become unbearable."
- The girl, whose favorite color is "sparkly," put a bike, Legos and Barbies on her wish list.
