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Want more details about what we do? Scroll below to find stories and the latest updates about how our work is helping make an impact. We invite you to learn more about our efforts and help spread the word about our important cause.

Note: asylum seekers and other migrants encountered at the shelters are referred to by an initial to protect their privacy.

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May 13, 2025

SSF Shelter Report 

Return of the Chinchas (bedbugs)!

Samaritanos Sin Fronteras volunteers Tom and Carol Wingo took LOTS of donations to migrant shelters in Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico this morning. Rosalie Bustos sent underwear, t-shirts, towels, wash cloths, travel containers for soaps, a hair trimmer, and doggy tick treatment. From Joyce Millar of Cactus Cupboard in Why, AZ they picked up chapsticks, socks, boots, backpacks, soaps, and vitamin water additives. They had no problems crossing the border with all the goodies. It may be a coincidence, but it seems that with the new administration in place, the Mexican National Guard has been much warmer toward SSF. Was that tactful enough 😁?

When the volunteers arrived at Casa Del Migrante shelter, there was no mention of bedbugs. The old cook was there and greeted Tom and Carol with a big hug. W told Carol he wanted to paint the rest of the interior of dorm 1; because of the paint odor and R’s asthma, he is not in favor of it. The men will have to decide the issue among themselves. M asked for a new pair of slip-on sneakers. He has arthritis and has trouble tying shoelaces. 

After lunch with the cook at La Stanza where he got a mini lesson on how to send photos to friends using his new cell phone, it was time to shop at Bodega Aurrera for the weekly groceries. The cook fed several stray dogs on the way back to CDM, where the men quickly lined up to unload the groceries. Still no talk of bedbugs!

The volunteers checked on Mona. She is healing well, though she may be purple for awhile. She, Chiquita, and Canelo are the old guard now; thank goodness Azul and Chihuahua, the youngsters, are beginning to calm down. The cook keeps a piece of fencing and a cement block over Señor Pequeño’s wheelbarrow, or else Azul would pop the little turtle in her mouth for a light but crunchy snack. Still no mention of bedbugs!

The garden is coming along. The plants are big enough to defy the rascally rabbits, and it looks like CDM will have a nice little crop of watermelons, cantaloupe, and squash in a month or two. After taking some garden pictures, Tom and Carol were saying their goodbyes to the manager, and NOW W came up to tell the manager in rapid Spanish that there is an infestation of bedbugs! He brought a squished one to show Carol 😳 to make sure she understood they were not baby cockroaches (o boy). After a little discussion, it was decided that the cook will purchase the insecticide. The shelter has a sprayer, so they will get right to work. It may take several applications, but hopefully they will eradicate them fast - before next week’s visit!

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5/6/25

SSF Shelter Report

Samaritanos Sin Fronteras volunteers Doug Schnare and Susanna Dewey took donations of food from Muffet Rowe and Stephen Brooks of Ajo (thank you both!) to Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico  this morning. They had no problem crossing the border, even with the 25 lb. sacks of rice and beans.

The cook was in the garden when Doug and Susanna arrived at Casa Del Migrante migrant shelter. So far, the milk crates he placed over the squash and melons last week seem to be protecting the young plants from bunny ravaging. The guests helped unload the food. Among the guests were several returnees - the man who used to do the cooking was there, and the man who loves apples, who greeted Susanna with a big hug. 

Among the dogs, Mona had gotten into a fight with a dog across the street. While her injuries were not severe enough to warrant a visit to the vet (the cook cleaned and treated her bites with antiseptic and dosed her with antibiotics and pain meds), she was definitely feeling out of sorts. The dogs are always warm and friendly when SSF volunteers visit, but they guard their territory (out to the middle line of the street) and are fierce defenders of the shelter. 

Doug and Susanna took the cook to lunch at Hotel Nora (No breakfast items on the menu, so the cook doesn’t want to return there) and then to grocery shop at Bodega Aurrera. After the groceries were put away, Doug and Susanna visited with the guests for a bit, then returned to Ajo. Another easy crossing, said Doug.

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Link to FMM form:

https://www.inm.gob.mx/fmme/publico/en/solicitud.html

Note: SSF is no longer able to accept donations meant for the family shelter, Centro de Esperanza. If you have items you’d like to donate to the families, please go Shelters for Hope’s website to contact the shelter owners:

https://www.sheltersforhope.com

Gotta be flexible in these trying times! Heads up and hug someone ❤️

————————————————Samaritanos Sin Fronteras Amazon wishlist:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/6SDJCN1N0XMX?ref_=wl_share

or if you’re in Ajo and have donations, contact one of the members of SSF who will be glad to deliver them. We all make a difference.

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