OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) – Members of the Interfaith Community Services and others in the community have been helping migrants get to their sponsor families in the U.S. since last Wednesday.
“The first things that we communicate to them is like, ‘Hey, you’re safe. Welcome. We are here to help you and what do you need,” said Marlene Romo, a site lead for Interfaith Community Services. “They’re coming from Asia. They’re coming from Europe. They’re coming from, yeah, everywhere you can think of; we have received them.”
Romo is the site leader at a location in Oceanside and has been boots on the ground since day one.
“We have had individuals that haven’t ate for three days. They haven’t showered. They just are desperate to get in contact with their families,” Romo said.
Migrants’ phones are getting that critical charge so they can finally talk their loved ones and chat with volunteers to get to where they need to go.
“We cannot be here for very much longer and, otherwise, we’ll just have people sleeping all over the streets,” said Interfaith Community Services Chief Development Officer Varinda Missett.
So, the nonprofit is getting the word out they need help as they’re being stretched thin.
“We need drivers to go to the airport. We need money for Ubers and for plane tickets,” Missett said. “Because often times they’ll get a hold of their sponsor family, and the sponsor family hasn’t heard from them in so long that they need a few days to get the money together so we need blocks of hotel rooms.”
Aside from the money and volunteers, things like phone chargers, rechargeable phone batteries, slip-on shoes and more are needed.
Being able to provide that hope to start a better life is all Romo can hope for.
“They are the most amazing humans that I have met and they’re extremely grateful. And just being able to make a little bit of difference fills my cup,” Romo said.
Since this effort started last Wednesday, Missett told ABC 10News they’ve been doing seven to eight shuttles to the airport a day.
If you would like to volunteer, please click on this link. If you’d like to donate to Interfaith, please click on this link.
