WHAT: Working with several faith communities to provide meals, clothing, and needed assistance for migrant children and their families passing through and settling in our area.
There are many opportunities to help migrants in our city. Email socialjustice@stmarks.net for more information.
For all those who see “home” and all it means disappear behind them,
For all those who cannot see a home in the days ahead of them,
For all those who dwell in daily insecurity,
For all those who are weary and without a safe place to rest their heads,
For all families in migration,
We pray.
May the image of the Holy Family fleeing oppression stay with us as we enter each new day,
And stay with us each night as we are blessed with returning to a home.
May we be blessed with compassion for those still weary, still seeking, still with so far to go.
In the spring of 2022, the governors of Texas and Arizona began sending asylum seekers from Central and South America to northern cities, including Washington, D.C. To date, we believe that more than 11,000 men, women, and children have been bused to our city with little more than the clothes on their back.
Several neighbor churches on Capitol Hill stepped up to be respite sites for these travelers, with Capitol Hill United Methodist Church (CHUMC) at Seward Square eventually becoming the primary site where busloads of weary travelers could get a good meal, select from donated clothing items, charge their cellphones, and receive guidance and assistance for the next part of their journeys. The city has recently assumed responsibility for greeting buses; however, CHUMC continues to provide opportunities for individuals to drop in to receive clothing, diapers, etc. They also operate a weekly respite center for migrants living in hotels and shelters.
St. Mark’s volunteers have been working at the Welcome Centers providing meals and other needed assistance to those living here in hotels and shelters, and recently we became a primary donation site for new underwear and socks for men, women and children and gently used children’s shoes. During the summer of 2023, several faith communities in our area sponsored day camps for migrant children and St. Mark’s volunteers were there to help.