Some young helpers paint inside a House of Hope home in Juarez, Mexico. Photo by Lynn Finnegan
Hard at work on a House of Hope team project. Photo by Lynn Finnegan
Painting a new home in Juarez, Mexico. Photo by Lynn Finnegan
A House of Hope Team visit to Juarez, Mexico. Photo by Lynn Finnegan
BY LYNN FINNEGAN
House of Hope Team
Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church
Work From Home. Stimulus Package. Paycheck Protection Program. Our vocabulary in the United States has been expanded to include these pandemic-related changes, but the people in the colonias near Juarez, Mexico have no such options or protections. Many live in houses made of cardboard and wood scraps, and most are unemployed – especially during Covid-19 – without health care insurance or unemployment benefits.
The House of Hope team from Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church (TOTH) is well familiar with these economic realities, having traveled to Juarez and worked to provide 20 new homes since 2005. Teams from the U.S. have suspended house-building mission work during Covid-19, but TOTH team members remain optimistic for the return of mission work in 2021. The mission organization TOTH partners with is also in need of donations for food, building materials and local labor for the few homes they are still building in 2020.
The cost to build a new home in Juarez is over $10,000 and the TOTH team is having a month of garage sales to raise money! All sales will be contactless (please wear a mask, social distance and NO early birds). Unless something is priced, all items are available for whatever donation the buyer would like to make. Look for updates in these Facebook groups: Keep it Local – Los Alamos, Los Alamos/White Rock Online Yard Sale, Los Alamos NM Online Yard Sale and individual members’ pages. The current schedule of “Garage-Sale-Palooza”:
July 3rd and 4th (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.) 1356 46th Street
July 10th and 11th (time TBD) 1502 44th Street
July 18th (7 a.m. – 1 p.m.) 5385 Quemazon
July 25th (9 a.m. – 12 p.m.) 4377 Fairway
July 25th (8 a.m. – 12 p.m.) 249 El Conejo
We look forward to seeing your generous (masked) faces!