Toy rehab for refugee children

I've made 2019 the year of helping/assisting/loving/donating/volunteering on my Discovering Love inspirational site. Most of the articles will be mine, but I’ve asked friends for guest articles on how they’re working in their circles of influence. Stay tuned!  

A Central American boy chose a hot-pink teddy bear from the large bag of soft toys.

I blurred the faces for security's sake. The smiles under the blurs
showed their excitement at having their own soft toys to love.

© 2019 Christy K Robinson

One of the least important, useless services we can provide for refugees who lack the basics of food and shelter and clothing is providing toys for kids, right? If parents really loved their children, they wouldn't have brought them on such a hazardous journey, right?

NO!

The moms who set out on the 2,000-mile journey with a toddler and another child are women who are fleeing gang and drug cartel violence, and grinding poverty. Their husbands and boyfriends (or maybe rapists) were either recruited, voluntarily or involuntarily, to the gangs or they may be dead because of the cartels that drive through the ramshackle neighborhoods and shoot them up with automatic weapons, or kidnap older children for their drug gangs.

The young mothers we see appear to be 18-30 years old. There are a few men with older children, but they are vastly outnumbered by the women. I haven't seen any middle-aged or older refugees. This may be because the busloads of refugees that Department of Homeland Security (ICE) drops at the host churches are from family detention centers and not from the centers where adults without children are housed.

See my article on an interfaith group who host and feed refugees

These Central American families come from horrific societal conditions we could hardly imagine, if not for the efforts of journalists -- journalists whose passports and travels have been flagged by Homeland Security because the narratives they publish vary from the agenda of the Trump administration that insists that the United States is being invaded by "illegals:" liars and thieves who want to steal American jobs and American benefits but who have been advised to claim asylum so they'll have a better chance at successful immigration. 

Whereas in the past, most immigrants were adults who came for low-paying agricultural jobs, now the majority of immigrants are coming with their children. The Trump administration blatantly said in 2017 that their policy of family separation was meant as a deterrent to immigration. Public outcry at children kept in cages and fences and federal courts eventually resulted in many families being kept together. But not all. Thousands of unaccompanied minors remain in concentration camps and residential detention centers.

BBC story and photo: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44531187

When the families are released from Border Patrol and bused to a host church or the Greyhound bus station with ankle monitors, but no shoelaces, no money, no food, no tickets to host families, who could think of a luxury like a toy for a toddler? 

With all the needs that refugee families have, why is it important for children to have fluffy bunnies and colorful teddy bears?

For joy. For love. For comfort.

Look at this child's joy, as a volunteer gives him a soft toy of his own.

Many of the ositos (little bears) have tags for FAO Schwartz, Build a Bear, and Gund.

Monkeys and bunnies about to be re-homed to a refugee child.

Meet Sherry, the stuffed animal veterinarian

No, Sherry isn't stuffed! Nor is she a veterinarian. She's a retired CRNA, certified registered nurse anesthetist by profession, and by avocation, the fixer, healer, redeemer, and nurse of stuffed animals. Her husband and helper declines to be named, but loves the work they've embarked upon.

How did you see a need and proceed to fill it? 
Sherry: "At the first place we went to volunteer, the refugees were coming off the Homeland Security bus with just the clothes they were wearing. The children had no toys. We wanted to give them some safety and security and something to hold onto, that could be theirs. The little faces just really light up when they get them. Their lives have been turned upside down. Getting the bears is comforting."

Why do children need stuffed toys?

She loves her pink, fluffy bear. So does the
little girl in the background.

Sherry: "I can remember when I was a student in nursing school, the nursing department of this large hospital had toys donated for abused or burned children coming in. We tried to give them plush toys to hold onto for comfort."

Where do you get the stuffed toys? What is your rehab process?
Sherry: "I go to Goodwills and all the thrift stores, and I pick teddy bears, dogs, cats, animals in good condition for maybe $1.50. Sometimes I come home with one, or three or four or 10. We don't buy big toys like a shark or elephant. We buy small toys because we give them to small children. I take the clothes off, because some come in fancy clothes and some have no clothes. I don't want some children to have fancy bears and others not. Some church members have been giving new toys, but it's not about buying new toys, it's about giving new life to toys that are donated. There was a bear that we decided not to give away because it looked like it was frowning. We give happy bears.
We buy only the ones in good condition. No battery-operated pieces, unless it's a good buy, and then I cut it out. We make sure there's nothing sharp on it. I've had to do some mending where the seams have torn.
We put plenty of Downy in the wash, because I like them to smell good, and they do. We have two sofas full of toys ready to go. " 

An array of rehabbed animals on Sherry's sofa.

Do you have helpers? Are you one of several people who do this? 
Sherry: "It's our project. My husband says it's a full-time job. You have to be retired! He helps clean bears and cuts tags."

How many stuffed animals do you distribute each week?  
Sherry: "It depends on how many I get. Last week, we had about 40 animals to give out, but we needed more for the number of children who were there. One week we passed out everything we had, and 15 children didn't have any, so I ran home, washed and dried some more, and brought enough then for the rest of the children. We had about 75 last week."

Even a hard heart would melt for this lineup!

How does this volunteer work bless you? 
Sherry: "This is our mission. Children are what interest us, and just being around these people who have gone to such lengths to keep their children safe. The trip they've taken, the protection they give them. [Doing this] warms my heart tremendously. It's God's work, that's what we're doing. Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me." I hope it's meaningful and comforting to them."

Everybody into the hot tub!

  

How you can help

• Look at your child's or grandchild's toy collection, and note the soft, fluffy stuffed toys they don't use now. Talk to them about sharing with children who need a toy to love.
• You might have Easter bunnies or Valentine bears you've decorated with over the years or received as gifts. Remember that the families you're donating to have been very poor and giving something ostentatious or excessive would be too great a contrast between "rich Americans" and indigent refugees. Allow the parents the dignity of providing for their children.
• Collect stuffed toys from your friends and church members. Visit thrift shops. Remember that the toys should be 15 inches or smaller because the children will be carrying them, and the parent may need to stuff it in a pack while the child sleeps or while traveling.
• Spot-clean and vacuum the toys to remove dust or pet fur. Wash them very gently, and fluff the fur when they're dry. Make sure there are no small parts that could choke a child. Mend any burst seams that could leak stuffing.
• Take the toys to a host church or hospital for distribution. Wherever you live, be it Phoenix-metro where we are, or Denver, Atlanta, Modesto, or Minneapolis, there are hospitals or refugee centers, homeless shelters, and preschools in an economically disadvantaged area that would welcome your help. 

These bears have already been chosen by children who are being fitted for new shoes. The bears will be loved. 

Sherry Barlow Cooper didn't want her photo to be used
with this article, but I just learned that she'd passed away
in 2022. This is Sherry, serving food to indigent people
in Phoenix. 

Nice bombs
If God calls you to minister to others, it probably won't be in a way that you would hate or be embarrassed to do. If you have a horror of "witnessing" or preaching, please do not inflict that fear on others! Instead, Ask God to open your eyes to the needs of the people right there near you. You might drive a cancer patient to and from a chemo or physical therapy appointment. If you're good at woodworking or carpentry, someone needs your help repairing furniture. If you're a good cook, invite a single person or the friend of your kid over to dinner (especially on a holiday). If you have a green thumb, plant tomato seedlings in paper cups to give away, or grow fruit and vegetables in your garden to donate to others. If someone is moving house, pack some boxes or carry them out to the truck.

You don't even need to mention that you belong to XYZ Church and you're doing this as evangelism or charity work. Really. Do not do that! Just live your life dropping what I call "nice bombs." Give a compliment. Take a few hours to help where needed. Go through closets and storage and donate your stuff to a thrift shop or charity. 

This is not why volunteers do what they do: to get something out of it, to enlarge their congregation, or to feel good about themselves. But ask any volunteer if they feel blessed or privileged to do the work for others, and they will all agree. It warms the heart. It's the feeling that you belong to something bigger than yourself. In an increasingly hostile, divisive, and insular world, kindness and compassion bring us back together. Don't let the Karma Bus squash you flat, but instead, let it pick you up and take you to a happy place.

For other articles on refugees seeking asylum, click this link: https://christykrobinson.blogspot.com/search?q=asylum 

**********************

Christy K Robinson is author of these books:

We Shall Be Changed (2010)

Mary Dyer Illuminated Vol. 1 (2013)  

Mary Dyer: For Such a Time as This Vol. 2 (2014)

The Dyers of London, Boston, & Newport Vol. 3 (2014)  

Effigy Hunter (2015)  

Anne Marbury Hutchinson: American Founding Mother (2018)

And of these sites:  

Discovering Love  (inspiration and service)

Rooting for Ancestors  (history and genealogy)

William and Mary Barrett Dyer (17th century culture and history of England and New England)

Editornado [ed•i•tohr•NAY•doh] (Words. Communications. Book reviews. Cartoons.)

As if Jesus himself were our guest

I've made 2019 the year of helping/assisting/loving/donating/volunteering on my Discovering Love inspirational site. Most of the articles will be mine, but I’ve asked friends for guest articles on how they’re working in their circles of influence. Stay tuned!    

 

© 2019 Christy K Robinson

Based on some of the foods I've cooked and taken to host churches to serve to Central American refugees, I've decided to post a couple of recipes appropriate for feeding large groups. If you would like to help volunteers with their cooking supplies, please see the end of this article for ideas.

The old Andre' House

 Many years ago, a group I led was involved in volunteer community service, and one of the places we enjoyed working was a Catholic-but-interfaith charity called Andre' House. At the time, it was a tiny old house in a poor part of Phoenix, though now it's a large kitchen and dining room at a different location. It served the homeless people of the area, some who were veterans, domestic violence victims, or economically disadvantaged people. Some appeared to me to be severely mentally ill, drug or alcohol dependent, and frankly, extremely unkempt.  We would prepare donated food (from restaurants or supermarkets) in the back yard of the old house, and the entree was cooked in the small kitchen. We spread margarine on sliced bread, we tore lettuces and sliced vegetables for the green salad, which was mixed in large plastic bags stretched over milk crates. The entree on Saturday evenings was a tuna casserole made with noodles or macaroni, cream cheese sauce, and mixed vegetables. At 5:30 pm, we loaded tables, the crates of food, and the large vats of casserole, coffee, and plates and forks onto a flatbed truck and set up the tables a few blocks away. The guests lined up quietly and waited to be served at 6:00. I remember seeing one man month after month, because under his matted hair and a deep tan from living outside, he had brilliant blue eyes, like the waters around a Caribbean island. I had the sense that though his hair was streaked with gray and his leathery face had deep creases, he was a young man whose dire circumstances had prematurely aged him. He never spoke. The lights were on, but no one was home.

As we prepared the food, one of the Andre' House staff would stop at each cluster of volunteers to greet and thank us, and remind us that if we came upon a bit of mold on bread, or frozen lettuce, we were to throw it away, because we would be preparing meals as if Jesus himself were our guest.

It was a life lesson.

 I've worked with other volunteer efforts over the years, and currently am serving with an interfaith group that's loosely (but extremely well) organized to meet the needs of Central American refugees and asylum seekers. Because there are hateful people who might harm our guests, we don't tell the locations where Homeland Security drops busloads of 100 young parents with children. When I showed up at a new location my friend recommended, the volunteer coordinator was curious about who I was with, and how I'd learned of the location. Once I dropped a couple of familiar names, we were on a friendly basis, and off to the races.

Our dinner menu was simple, and designed to nourish refugees who had spent months walking from Guatemala or Honduras through Mexico, and reached the American border. To apply for asylum, they must be on American soil. So they come across the border, sit down, and wait to be arrested so they can request asylum. They're taken to a for-profit prison for processing, where they spend about three (terrible) weeks before being bused to a host church or the public bus station to go to their sponsor family until their immigration court date. The meal we serve them is the first home-cooked food they've had in months. Yes, months. We don't serve fancy food or huge portions because their stomachs would be upset. They get beans, Mexican-style rice, a hearty chicken-vegetable stew, fresh-grilled corn tortillas, fruit, lemonade or apple juice, milk for children, and a dessert of brownies or cookies. Also, we volunteers are providing the food from our own middle- or lower-middle-class budgets. Beans and rice and soup are what we can afford to make in quantity.

This is how I made a large pot of delicious rice that our volunteer coordinator pronounced "blue-ribbon" and said I shouldn't change the recipe when I bring it next time. I hope it will be useful to you if you need to feed a crowd affordably. The vegetables and rice can be found at a dollar store, supermarket, or, if you have a membership (I don't right now), at Costco.

Blue-ribbon Mexican rice

Can be vegan if you alter it slightly.

(makes about 50 half-cup servings, or fills one large crock pot)

Saute’ in a smaller frying pan:

2 large onions (white, brown, or sweet)

2 green pasilla or poblano chilies, seeded, diced small

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded, diced small

1 large diced tomato or several handfuls of halved cherry tomatoes

1 can of corn kernels (save liquid to add to rice while it cooks)

2 tsp minced garlic

In a large, lidded frying pan:

*4 cups white rice, any variety you prefer

*3-4 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

6+ cups hot water

½ tsp Penzey’s ancho or other mild chili powder

3 Sazon Goya seasoning packets

4 tbsp. Knorr chicken bouillon powder (use vegetable bouillon or a chicken-like flavoring if you want to keep it vegan/vegetarian)

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*When cooking for myself, and obviously on a much smaller scale, I use brown rice and avocado oil because of the chewy fiber and the more healthful oil that can stand higher heat than olive oil. The brown rice requires about 30 minutes simmering time (double the time of white rice) to soften properly. When cooking for others, I use white rice because most people prefer it.

_________________

            Sauté the vegetables for 15-20 minutes until the onions become translucent. You might use a little oil, or you can cover a nonstick pan and let the steam lubricate the bottom. Set aside. If you have some odd-shaped pieces of onion or chili, or a small tomato on hand, you can liquefy them in the blender and add the slurry to the rice as it’s simmering.

            When making the rice in the larger pan, work in two batches. Use 2 cups rice and 3 cups water for each batch, and half the seasoning. When the rice is cooked soft after about 15 minutes, transfer it to a large slow cooker set on warm (not on low cook, or it will burn).

The most important step is toasting the uncooked rice in oil. Heat the oil in a large skillet that has a lid, add the rice, and coat the rice in the oil. Over medium-high heat, continue moving the rice around the pan so it browns but doesn’t burn. When the rice is light tan (and your house smells fantastic), keep the lid in one hand and pour the hot water into the skillet, then clamp down the lid over the steam, as the water will boil on contact with the hot rice.

After a minute or so, you can remove the lid and add your seasonings.

• When cooking for a crowd, it’s best not to use too much “heat” in the chili powder or the diced chilies, which is why I prefer to use pasillas or poblanos minus their seeds, and ancho powder. Ancho powder is dried and ground red poblano or pasilla pepper, which has a sweeter flavor than the green pepper it once was. They add flavor, not stinging heat. 
• There’s a lot of salt in the bouillon, so you should not add salt.
• Sazon Goya seasoning comes in tomato-cilantro or saffron, and adds a wonderful flavor. You’ll find it in the Hispanic foods section of the supermarket.

Cover the rice, reduce heat to medium, and continue to simmer the toasted rice and seasonings for 15 minutes, stirring every three or four minutes to be sure it’s not sticking to the pan, or the water hasn’t evaporated away.

Stir in the sautéed vegetable mix, and your blue-ribbon Mexican rice is ready to serve, or take to the church hall or picnic site.

The end result is much more moist—and more flavorful because of the toasted rice and the bits of vegetables—than the bland side dish you’d get in a Mexican restaurant. This recipe is unforgettably good!

Green chili stew with chicken or turkey

(Serves 20-25 small bowls)

Turkey and green chili stew, with my Penzey's Spices jars in the background.
I mention Penzey’s because it’s a socially responsible company that I admire, and their spices, herbs, and blends are delicious and fresh. They have stores around the United States, but also ship from their website.

In a slow cooker, combine:

6 cups hot water

3 tbsp Knorr chicken bouillon powder

1 huge white or sweet onion, diced

3 large pasilla or poblano chilies, diced (These are very mild.)

1 tbsp minced Penzey’s garlic

2 peeled and diced yellow squash

1 Anaheim chili pepper, minced

1 bell pepper, minced

1 tsp Penzey’s seasoned salt

¼ tsp Penzey’s smoked paprika

When they were cooked, I reserved two cups of veggies and blended them for flavor and thickening before pouring it back into the crock.
            Then add:

1-2 pounds roasted turkey or chicken breast meat, diced small

Allow the veg and meat to simmer together for several hours.

Transporting the sloshing-full crock pot across the city in traffic is risky, so while at home, I ladled out four cups of broth, and thickened it into gravy with a flour paste, which I put into a lidded container and mixed in once I got to the church kitchen.

The result was absolutely fabulous, the house smelled terrific, and stomachs growled in anticipation of the stew.


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Here's how you can help me help others. I'm not a tax-deductible charity, nor am I affiliated with one. 
Roll over the bulleted items for hotlinks. 

• An annual Costco membership ($65)
• A 20-pound bag of white rice
• An 8-pound tub of Knorr's chicken bouillon powder from Amazon (Costco has a 4.4-lb tub)
• A Costco, Fry's/Kroger, or Safeway gift card with which to buy boneless chicken
• A Sprouts gift card to buy vegetables when my patio garden of tomatoes and peppers withers in the desert heat. That will take place in mid-May. 

You can contact me through my WEBSITE (the address in my website is only a corner near my house, not my actual address) or through Facebook, to reach me.


For other articles on refugees seeking asylum, click this link: https://christykrobinson.blogspot.com/search?q=asylum


   

*****

Christy K Robinson is author of these books:

We Shall Be Changed (2010)

Mary Dyer Illuminated Vol. 1 (2013)  

Mary Dyer: For Such a Time as This Vol. 2 (2014)

The Dyers of London, Boston, & Newport Vol. 3 (2014)  

Effigy Hunter (2015)  

Anne Marbury Hutchinson: American Founding Mother (2018)

And of these sites:  

Discovering Love  (inspiration and service)

Rooting for Ancestors  (history and genealogy)

William and Mary Barrett Dyer (17th century culture and history of England and New England)

Editornado [ed•i•tohr•NAY•doh] (Words. Communications. Book reviews. Cartoons.)