Speaker of the Day: Frannie Wheeler, Casa Alitas
09 July 2020
Buckets on the Table: Backpack Program
Speaker of the Day: Frannie Wheeler, Casa Alitas
A former member of West Bay Rotary, Frannie moved to Tucson, AZ and became involved with Casa Alisas, an organization that assists migrants entering the country. Casa Alitas began supplying clothing, food, a safe place to stay, and transportation to the next destination to incoming immigrant to the US. Immigrants are divided into two groups: refugees and asylum seekers. After interviews with Border Patrol, the individuals are brought to sites that can assist them with basic needs until sponsors are found and immigration hearings are completed. The numbers of people started growing and two houses and motel rooms did not provide enough space for the people needing assistance, clothing and other donations being dropped off. A Benedictine monastery, containing 40 bedrooms, 3 stories, kitchen and a lot of community space. Up to 80-90 people step off the ICE buses with little understanding of what is going on, they are hungry, stressed and in need of the basics. The group of volunteers provides some stability and safety for the families and individuals as they arrive.
Committee Reports:
Community – Need 8-10 volunteers to help mulch pathways at PAWS, Saturday 18 July, 830-1030.
Budget has one more week for all of us to review and will vote on at next week’s meeting
Next Week’s Speaker: Possible Classification Talks!