Dear Ciudad Nueva Family,
Conversations in many of our homes around the current pandemic are multifaceted. We understand the devastation it is bringing, and we are mourning for time lost with loved ones, especially those within our community that we serve. But, our privilege is also amplified, showing us in stark tones what we claim so easily – staying home, staying safe, getting the food and supplies we need, enjoying comfort in the midst of discomfort. If this resonates with you, then you know it has also given you time to reflect on what you have, what you take for granted, and what you want to change about your world.
This blessing is something we should not take for granted, because it is an opportunity to discover how we can create change in the midst of this crisis. Many of us living in this great city have experienced the frustration of watching families, many who are the most vulnerable in El Paso, struggle to have access to basic necessities like food, supplies and toiletries. Along with this, many will not be receiving stimulus checks, which will only continue to burden the health and wellness of our families. Many of us see the need, and we have been coming to grips with the fact that we are not the ones who need the economic boost of a stimulus check. We are the ones who need to be offering a helping hand to people who are truly in need.
Ciudad Nueva will be helping support in emergency situations for the families who are most in need. We have the power and the ability to reach out despite being forced to stay apart. Please consider sharing all or a portion of your stimulus check with those who need it most, so that we all may benefit from such a blessing. Consider contributing a portion of your stimulus check with families who depend on the services and support Ciudad Nueva provides. Call 915-307-0454 or click here to donate.
Thank you for your continued, love and support.
Sami & team
Dear Friends,
It’s been a difficult few weeks as we’ve all tried to figure out and adjust to the realities of COVID-19 and its impact on our El Paso community. In the midst of these changing realities we wanted to give a quick update on some of our plans in the Ciudad Nueva neighborhood.
Like everyone else, we had to cancel or adjust programming last week during spring break based on official recommendations. We held some limited small group youth outings, mostly to the park, and adjusted our food co-op to a drive thru model supporting dozens of families with food, as well as delivering emergency food to some of the families most in need.Over the coming days we will be planning and implementing some new strategies to best support the most vulnerable in our community as we’re moving forward into the rest of the school year with kids home from school, many adults homebound, and everyone practicing some measure of social distancing.
Luckily, there are some great resources available to help with planning a way forward, and we are learning from many of our friends in other parts of the country. We will be using the Interim guidance from the CDC on getting your community ready for COVID-19 as a guideline on strengthening communication, connecting to community-wide planning, updating emergency plans for considering the needs of vulnerable populations, identifying key services, and addressing key prevention and strategies. We also plan to adjust our youth programming in order to support kids in innovative ways to continue meeting our mission during this critical time.
In many ways, our mission is more critical now than ever and we are so grateful for your incredible support, love and generosity through the years!
We will keep you updated with our plans and ways to help out. In the meantime we know many families are short on staple food items and we welcome donations of the following items:
- – Eggs
- – Dried beans
- – Rice-Canned goods & soups
- – Ramen noodles,
- – and of course hand sanitizer & toilet paper
Or you can make a donation and we can buy items in bulk to distribute through our Tiendita, food co-op, and community connectors.
We hope and pray that you and your loved ones are healthy and have a sense of peace in the midst of this stressful time. Please let us know how you are doing and if there are ways we can be supporting or praying for you.
