Help asylum families

There have been almost daily articles recently about individuals and families from Central and South America seeking asylum in the U.S. Until the pandemic hit a year ago, Saint Philip’s member Chuck Kirchner coordinated the parish’s volunteer efforts at The Inn, one of several transitional shelters in Tucson for families. The pandemic and changes in government policy brought that work to a halt.

Now the need has arisen again. The Inn of Southern Arizona has moved from a church basement near the University of Arizona to a hotel near I-10. This move allows each family to have their own room while waiting for their ongoing transportation to their sponsors. Before arriving at The Inn all guests must test negative for the COVID-19 virus.

There are a number of current needs:

• Volunteers to help with different shifts (evenings 5:00pm-9:00pm and weekends 8:00am-12:00pm)

• Drivers to transport guests to the Greyhound bus station or the airport (the latter requires some basic Spanish to help guests through airport procedures)

• Volunteers to sort clothing

• A bookkeeper

• A grant writer

• Someone to maintain The Inn’s website

Right now there is no group sign-up possible so if you’re interested in any of these volunteer opportunities, contact Gretchen Lopez (voice or text) at 520-330-8146 and leave a message with your name and phone number.

The Inn is also seeking donations to help pay for the hotel rooms ($48 per night). Donations can be made at: http://www.theinnumc.org or by mailing a check to: The Inn of Southern Arizona, P.O. Box 43332, Tucson, AZ 85719.

If you have any questions, email Chuck Kirchner at chuck@chuckkirchner.com.