JACUMBA, Calif. (KGTV) - With an eye toward the rainy weather, an East County family is handing out some warmth at some migrant camps in Jacumba.
Days before Christmas, Meredith Vezina is on a holiday mission to spread some warmth, ahead of the approaching storm,
I met up with her at a small migrant tent city, just feet from I-8.
At this and a larger camp, Vezina and a few family members spent the morning giving out a few hundred hats and pairs of socks.
Among those receiving a hat was Denaide Rey.
Rey, a store owner from Colombia, says threats from a gang forced her to leave her home, eventually crossing the mountains into San Diego.
She had been here six hours when we talked to her. She wasn't aware of the rainy forecast.
“I'm worried. I get a lot of pain in my back when it's cold,” said Rey through a translator.
Like many here, Rey isn't prepared for cold weather. Vezina says some stay here for as many as 5 or 6 days before Border Patrol agents come and process them .
The tents here have been used and reused by migrants passing through. They aren't built for extreme weather. Rocks are used to weigh them down. Some of the tents appear on the verge of falling apart.
“Makes me upset to think about it, especially when I’m in a bed, nice and warm. Try being out there with the rain. It’s tough,” said Vezina.
Last week, Vezina started a Gofundme campaign to buy the supplies, after a months of distributing donated food and blankets for the same camps. She's hoping to come back next week with gloves.
She's determined to hand out several types of warmth.
“Let’s them know there are people here that care,” said Vezina.
A relieved Rey tells us her cold ears are already feeling better.
“Makes me feel good. Makes me feel welcome,” said Rey.
