Beyond Walls Ministry +

We’ve begun a fund through Union that provides support to detainees upon release from the Detention Center. This fund also supports our OPOP (One Parish One Prisoner) Ministry as we come alongside people imprisoned to provide support to while in prison and upon re-entry. Donations submitted here.

AID-NorthWest

There are other ways to support detainees in the ICE Detention Center and individuals as they are released. You can jump in through partnerships with AID-NW through a variety of ways. Note: both of these options are from Tacoma.

1. Welcome Center, Tacoma.

   • 2 hour shifts inside the Welcome Center that is parked right in front of ICE Detention building.

   • Job: Be available for any outcoming detainees; provide them with resources.

   • Time: Mon-Fri. 3P-5P

2. DRIVE newly released detainees from ICE Center to SeaTac to go to their next safe location.

   • Job: You will be on the Drivers list and receive notice of driver needs for the next day. Most often get 24 hours’ notice, but some can be short notice. You can choose to sign up for each drive.

   • Time: Mon-Fri. Most times, drivers needed before noon, but at times, driver needed in afternoon.

   • depending on when a person is released.

Interested? Contact Joyce Robertson.

Northwest Immigrants’ Rights Project (NWIRP)

Union knows NWIRP as they have supported Mkhetwa in his journey. Here are ways to support immigrants also.

1. Interpreter to translate. (68 languages needed)

   • Job: Translate between immigrant clients and legal counsel. Or translate documents.

   • Time: Varied – depends on case. Primarily this is done via phone or zoom and times vary 8A-8P.

   • How to start? Fill in form – let Joyce know - the coordinator will be in contact when they have a match for you.

2. Pro Bono legal counsel.

   • Job: Each case may be 40-60 hours over 2-3 months, done at varied times during the work week.

   • Why? A client’s chance of avoiding removal from the UW is highly dependent on having legal counsel.

How to start? Email Joyce: you will be put in touch with legal team coordinator.

Meals for the Neighborhood +

We are excited to partner with Compass at Dexter in SLU and Compass Broadview in north Seattle. As a reminder, drop off homemade meals by 12 pm on Thursdays! You can get more info on this by emailing Adrienne below.

Thanks to Union + neighbors for their wonderful meals! Interested in making or delivering meals for some Union folks, ICS, Compass House & LUV? Email Adrienne.

Burrito Rollers Unite! +

We’ve got a dedicated team of people cooking & rolling 300+ burritos every Saturday at 415. Our famed 4th Sunday chefs and food preppers arrive to cook at 10:30 & rollers arrive between 11:30 & 12 pm. We’ve got gloves and rolling stations set up 6 ft apart. We only ask that you bring a mask! Burritos are delivered throughout the week by Theo to New Horizons, ICS, LUV, Compass House Dexter, St. Martin's, Matt Talbott Center, & Street Youth Ministries.

Email Renée if you’d like to help.

Item Donations +

New Horizons

• soap

• shampoo & conditioner

• lotion

• toothpaste & toothbrushes

• shaving cream

Airplane size tends to work best (they often get lost after a couple uses) but they are happy to accept anything right now. Email Adrienne to coordinate a drop off.

LUV

Our neighbors could use hand sanitizer, face masks, bleach, masks, and non-perishable foods as well as:

• Feminine Hygiene Items (pads)

• Men and Women’s Clothing: Jackets, sweaters, hoodies, New Socks, Pants, T-shirts

• Body Towels

• Backpacks & Reusable Tote Bags

• Alarm Clocks

• Shower caddies

• Toiletries: Dental care products, Soap, Shampoo, Deodorant, Shavers

• Notes or Art

• Puzzles: Sudoku, Crosswords, etc

U-District Food Bank

• bottled water

• canned & dry goods (pasta especially)

• toiletries & feminine hygiene

• sexual health items

• baby food/baby wipes

• cooking supplies (such as oil, butter, etc.)

Mask Donations +

Due to the ongoing critical mask shortage in our hospitals, we are taking up a collection to donate to our healthcare workers on the frontlines. Do you have some N-95s? Check this info from Seattle Mask Brigade to donate N-95s site.

Are you finding that mask making is your new skill? We’ve received a large donation of fabric and we can deliver to you and also pick up your finished face masks for various places of need. Contact: Bobbie McCollough. Check out this tutorial to follow. If you need a mask, email Meghan.

We are also collecting reusable masks for LUV & the U-District Food Bank. Email Adrienne with donations.

Union Shelter Update +

We are so excited to report that the 24/7 Women’s Referral Center shelter at Garfield Community Center has moved to a new, permanent site. We are still learning where some of our Union shelter guests are living, however, we do know that a handful are in housing at this new location. Stay tuned for more updates. Blankets and welcome supplies are most welcome! Email Adrienne.

To support these emergency shelters, we will be:

• Putting together welcome/project bags (likely the items above, minus clothing, however still waiting for confirmed list) for the women who will stay at Garfield CC.

• Praying for staff and guests

Previous 4th sunday ideas +

While we cannot worship in action as we are accustomed, there is no need to let Covid-19 kick us off our Sunday rhythm. As some of our partners are not available to work alongside this month, there are still ways to be a part of God’s loving and renewing the world! You likely have plenty of ways to do that but here are 19 ideas from Studio 3:

1. Walk and Pray — Take a walk around your neighborhood and ask God for eyes to see what to lift up in prayer. Maybe call a friend or a Union neighbor to walk and pray together (6 feet apart). Here is a link to a prayer of confession, written by Peter Lyons.

2. Walk Together — invite a neighbor for a walk (following safe social distancing, of course!)

3. Make a meal or cookies for your neighbors.

4. Burritos — we are making lunches for a variety of organizations. Please contact James B before you head to 415 so as not to exceed the limit of people in the building.

5. Kick Ball — start a kickball game with neighborhood kids (sanitize ball and hands before and after game). Rugby on the other hand is definitely out.

6. Medical Provider Support — put together a goodie basket with notes for staff at a hospital near you—or medical/hospital worker you know. (We’ve received positive feedback that these gifts matter!)

7. Check in — call on the phone, leave a note or make a porch visit to a neighbor house-bound. Send a care package to a grandparent or friend in a retirement home. Contact Renée if you need suggestions.

8. Jump on Next Door or your neighborhood Facebook page to see if there is a need you can meet.

9. Write a Letter — drop a note to two men that Mketwa has put us in touch with at the Detention Center: Christian Gyamfi (A#78489896) and Anthony Miranda Sanchez (A# 92510770/detained 3 years/art viewable on Facebook).

   [Detainee Name], [A#], 1623 East J Street, Suite 5, Tacoma, Washington 98421-1615.

   Note: Jojo is one of the nine people in a suit against the Detention Center seeking release due to hazardous conditions at the center given the Covid-19 pandemic and their age and underlying conditions. He also has some court procedures in the near future but there is some uncertainty as to whether they will occur soon due to the virus.

10. Make a paper airplane and mail it to Jojo (they may not let a lot of them through but even one would make him smile).

11. Write a Letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement asking for the release of all non-violent detainees who are at high risk.

    Nathalie Asher, Seattle Field Office, 1623 E J Street, Suite 2,Tacoma, WA, 98421-1615

12. Support Local Eateries — grab take out lunch or dinner and help keep staff employed.

13. Take Groceries to a local food bank.

14. Donate to agencies that are supporting communities in need by providing food, shelter, and services:

    ◦ Food Lifeline

    ◦ WA-BLOC

    ◦ "Feed the Beach" — feeding students lunch during the COVID-19 shutdown

    ◦ Immanuel Community Services Food Bank\ ◦ Rainier Valley Foodbank

    ◦ Support a Foodbank — see this list for more info.

    ◦ Support Shelters — Noel House (the one to which our Women’ Shelter is connected).

    ◦ The YMCA is providing childcare to first-responders, increasing their Hunger Initiatives across the region, hosting blood drives, and continuing to care for teens and young adults in their home program.

15. Donate blood — if you are healthy, there is a shortage of blood supply. BloodWorks Central location at 921 Terry is open on Sundays. Bloodworks NW for more info.

16. Listen to Pray as You Go.

17. Make soup, chili or snacksfor a family at Compass House. Deliver in a sealable bag or coordinate to drop off with Renée.

18. Make a CDC Medical mask for clinics. Mask making video. Also, check out Providence site.