It didn’t occur to me that one of WSCAH’s many locations for service was a sanctuary.
I was helping out in the grains section of the truck and had a volunteer from the church come help me with the proteins; it was then where it was explained to me that the church served as a sanctuary for refugees. As one of the families moved towards the produce section, the volunteer told me that the families we were serving were people seeking a form of asylum due to their situations back in Latin America; they came from a variety of nations with different stories. For them, the Church offered shelter–safety–where they could not be touched or sent away back to their home countries. It was also explained to me that within the Church, there are children and elderly living below; it made sense since they are suppose to be hidden. At least, that is what I gathered from the volunteer’s hushed explanations to me; I assumed it was meant to be a secret.
The Church organizers and WSCAH volunteers mentioned that the refugee families would often get extra servings of food and necessities; this is due to the fact that they are limited in resources when taking into consideration their status in the United States. I’m not quite sure how education works for children–its something I regret not asking–but the families that approached me were grateful and overjoyed with food.
In this I wonder, in what ways does WSCAH help refugee populations? Aside from giving a little extra food, what else is offered?
