CARTAS CON AMOR
"Letters With Love"
Providing Comfort to Latin American Immigrants
WHAT WE DO
The main goal of Cartas Con Amor is to collect letters, written in Spanish by high school students, that will comfort families or individuals who are being detained at the US-Mexico border or have recently crossed into the US. These letters provide handwritten, encouraging words to Latin American immigrants.
We work with various organizations to bring the letters to shelters and detention centers. These organizations include: Rapid Response Network, Jewish Family Service, Otay Mesa Detention Resistance, Survivors of Torture, and Border Angels.
ACTIVITIES
A student led and community based organization.
LETTER DRIVE
Cartas Con Amor works to provide much needed emotional support to Latin American immigrants, asylum seekers, and detainees. We have collaborated with 10 Bay Area high schools so far in our letter writing campaign: Archbishop Mitty, Bishop O Dowd, Campolindo, Carondelet, Clayton Valley, College Park, De La Salle, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis, Saint Ignatius, and San Ramon Valley.
DONATIONS
Along with mental comfort, Cartas Con Amor aims to provide Latin American immigrants with physical necessities. We have collected dental hygienic supplies and clothes. In June, 6 dental and orthodontist practices donated over 800 toothpastes, 800 toothbrushes, 150 floss, and 50 mouthwash. These donations will help families at the Rapid Response/Jewish Family Service shelter, individuals at shelters in Tijuana, and residents at the Otay Mesa Detention facility.
SHELTER VOLUNTEERING
Cartas Con Amor strives to physically give back to the community through shelter volunteering. The Rapid Response/Jewish Family Service shelter in San Diego provides temporary relief for asylum seeking families. Through this shelter, Jackie and Natalie have distributed letters to residents and assisted a mother and newborn baby from El Salvador navigate a health clinic. They have also guided families through the San Diego airport and helped asylum seekers make phone calls to their loved ones.
"Immigration is not just a link to America's past; it's also a bridge to America's future."