Since the summer of 2022, Holy Apostles staff and volunteers have stood on the frontlines in support of migrant and asylum seekers arriving in the city. Not unlike the unhoused guests we serve daily, migrants and asylum seekers lack permanent homes and face complex challenges. After long and sometimes dangerous treks from zones of conflict abroad, these asylum seekers and their families carry immediate needs, many coming with nothing but the clothes on their backs and having experienced immense trauma and deprivation in their journey.
Due to our proximity to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, word-of-mouth referrals, and various signage and instruction, Holy Apostles continues to be among the first landing sites – and our staff, some of the first points of contact – for migrant and asylum-seeking individuals who make it to the city. Since the crisis has started, our staff and volunteers have been working to provide food, clothing, and support to these asylum seekers, many of whom don’t qualify for other safety net services.
Without any additional resources from the city, we are doing everything we can to provide critically needed food, clothing, and other essentials not covered by our current funding. In addition to seeing asylum seekers at our daily meal service and our social services department, in the fall of 2022, Holy Apostles teamed up with the Sisters of Saint Joseph’s “Team TLC” program, which greets asylum seekers who have arrived in New York City after a grueling overland trek from South America to the Southwest border. Every weekday, staff at the Church of the Holy Apostles prepare 150 bagged meals and provide them to Team TLC NYC free of charge for their distribution to newly arrived migrants.
Additionally, this Spring, we are partnering with P.S. 11 to distribute wholesome and nutritious meals for migrant children enrolled in the school and living in shelters or hotels, which lack cooking facilities. Once per month, volunteers from both P.S. 11 and Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen will distribute 100 prepared meals to these families.
According to most recent counts, approximately 50,000 migrant and asylum seekers have arrived in the city. Among them, approximately 30,000 are estimated to reside in the city’s shelter system, and approximately 11,000 migrant children are estimated to have enrolled in the city’s public school system. For any family with children, food is a constant and pressing need. Holy Apostles believes no child should go hungry. Hunger cannot be justified, not by national origin or citizen status not by language, nor creed, background, or story. Holy Apostles proudly stands with our community partners to improve the lives of those seeking a better place to live and a brighter future for themselves and their families.
You can make a profound difference in the lives of our newly arrived neighbors with a donation of any amount on our website.
