THANK YOU FOR HEARING THE CRY OF THE POOR. You made Christmas a time of JOY for our brothers and sisters in Christ who endure harsh poverty in the dumps of Tijuana. Your generosity provided bags of special food and a new blanket for 1500 families.

Humble men and women stood in line for hours to receive a bag of beans, rice, oatmeal, sugar, tuna, canned milk, and fruit. The people were delighted to also receive oranges and apples in their bag of treats. Your generous donations purchased the food (Chickens and shoes were donated) and blankets. Words cannot convey how much we appreciate your generous giving and love for the poor in Tijuana who come to the Casa.

The fifteen hundred families came via many bus lines or on foot from the hills and dumps to attend an early morning Mass. Some even arrived the night before and camped out in the street. A breakfast of cocoa and hot cinnamon buns was served to those waiting in the long line to receive the gifts. The patio was decorated for Christmas and a live manger scene was created by bringing two or three animals from the City of Mercy Mental Hospital in Rosarito Beach. The people were thrilled and grateful to receive the food and other gifts.

Most of us have NO IDEA what it is like to live the way these people must live. The Sisters will be delivering more blankets, food, tarps, and toys to several outlying Colonias they help on a regular basis. 

How you can help fill the greatest needs now

The nights these last few weeks have been extremely cold. Sister Armida says the greatest needs now are:

• Food, including any extra citrus fruit you may harvest from your yards
• Tarps
• Extra blankets
• Warm jackets, socks, mittens, warm caps
• Medicine

The need is never-ending as you know by now. People arrive at the Casa while it is still dark and cold. Some people arrive at 6:00 am and circle around the sidewalks outside the Casa, shivering while waiting for the gate to open. Others arrive the night before and camp out on the cold sidewalk. The Sisters come out at night to help relieve their misery by distributing blankets and some food. 

WE THANK GOD for all of you who donate money to feed the hungry people, and for your donations of blankets, food, warm clothing, and medical supplies. In late December, we received blankets and food from St. Patrick’s Parish CCD Classes in Carlsbad.  

Sr. Armida says, “Thank you for all your efforts to support this place of endless needs and requests. Begging is not easy. I see the fear people try to hide when asking for help. God bless them — they are humble and innocent. The needs of the poor are simple: from baby formula to a handful of beans, from a tablet for pain to a wheelchair, from a plea of prayer for a sick person and to assistance for burial.”

“God is in charge, and we are His helpers.”  Sister Armida

MAY GOD BLESS YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY TO HIS POOR