Casas de Luz Newsletter
Happy August! We started off the month strong with our first home build since March! Although we couldn't be there physically, our friends and carpenters in Mexico lent us a hand to build a new home for the Salazar Ayala family. Additionally, we continue to find ways to support our communities in Mexico from a distance. Recently we converted our Cumbres breakfast club into another branch of our Despensas de Luz program. As our sheds were overflowing with donations, we have found ways to continue delivering furniture to support local families and keep our sheds organized. We hope you and your family are enjoying this socially distanced summer, we can't wait to be with you soon!
Cumbres Breakfast Club
Despensas de Luz
Before the pandemic, our community center in Cumbres ran a breakfast club every morning to provide children with a nutritious meal before heading off to school. During this time we have converted the breakfast club into another branch of our Despensas de Luz program! Families from the Cumbres community center are receiving monthly groceries to continue fighting hunger during this time. Not only are they giving groceries to families, but making sure the elderly in the community have the medical supplies they need. It warms our heart to see our communities working together to support one another under such hard circumstances.
Building
1 Day, 10 Builders
After four months of persisting faith and dedication, the Tijuana Home Build club of SDSU sponsored the building of a home on August 1. As the pandemic was just unraveling in early March, TJHB made the hard decision to suspend their scheduled build for everyone's health and safety. Today we still can't be together to build a home, but TJHB decided to gift the Salazar Ayala family a home with the help of our master carpenters in Mexico. In just one day, the team of 10 lifted the home for the Salazar family to sleep in that same night. TJHB, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for continuing to support our families in Mexico and allowing us to continue building hope without borders!
Salazar Ayala Family
The Salazar Ayala family is originally from Nayarit, Mexico and came to Tijuana searching for a better life for Sara (18), André (14), José (10), and their adopted daughter Ana Luz (28). The dad, José, works in hotel maintenance while his wife María works as a hotel receptionist. All of the kids go to school and André wants to become a veterinarian. Welcome home, Salazar Ayala family!
Local Service
Donations, Donations, Donations!
Although we are not building in Mexico, our sheds continue to be fully supplied with beautiful donations. Some of our high school leaders have been hosting socially distanced, mask required shed parties to organize and sort out the donations. Luckily we have the opportunity to support families in San Diego, as you'll see below.
Seeking Asylum
A mom and her four children recently moved into a two bedroom garage after living with a sister's family in a single room. Unfortunately, the mom is left by herself to seek asylum for her family because the dad was deported back to Guatemala with a separate case. When they first moved into the garage, all they had were a few pairs of clothes. Thanks to the donations from our re-purposing with a purpose program, we were able to furnish their new home. The kids were so excited to have a bunk bed with plenty of blankets and colors to brighten up their home while their case goes through the system with the help of a lawyer. There's nothing better than having your own bed to sleep in and turning a room into a home!
Donations
Donation Sheds at St. James Catholic Church
Sheds are at the end of the parking lot of the church if coming from the North. If you are coming from the South, take Via de la Valle and drive towards the ocean. On Del Mar Downs Road, turn right and continue until the end of the road where you will turn left. Drive left up the hill and the sheds will be on your left! There is a rope protecting our sheds from being a dump zone, so feel free to drop off usable donations right there! Please contact us so we know to expect it!