Call for basic human decency and kindness to fill and assemble kits for freed federal detainees
Press release:
Sunday, April 25, is Neighborhood Mission Day and two local groups invite you to help people being released from the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia as they try to find their way back to their families.
At 12:30 p.m. that day, “Los Samaritanos” and the Country Neighbors churches of the Presbytery of Genesee Valley will be at the North Bergen Presbyterian Church to assemble bags of basic necessities and other useful items for newly released former detainees.
The church is located at 7068 N. Bergen Road in Bergen. The assembly event will be outdoors and COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed.
"We normally give them a dignity bag, a meal, a coat, sometimes a phone card, and sometimes a place to stay for the night if their bus ticket is not till the following day," says Pastor Roula Alkhouri of the Batavia First Presbyterian Church, noting that she belongs to Los Samaritanos.
These items are needed:
- Backpacks
- Warm clothes
- Snacks
- Travel-size toiletries, including hand sanitizer
- Flashlights
- Water bottles
- Large envelopes or folders
- Multiples of $20 in cash ($20 per person)
Questions? Contact Pastor Jim Renfrew at (585) 548-2800 or Pastor Roula Alkhouri at (585) 343-0505.
