Asylum seekers in Midtown Kingston have come to depend on the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network (UIDN) to help them obtain legal assistance, to drive them to required check-ins with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and to supply food and clothing.

"That church loves immigrants," an asylum seeker said in Spanish about Holy Cross Church, also the headquarters for the UIDN.

The man, who asked not to be identified, said the UIDN has helped keep afloat the more than 80 families all from the same village in Northern Guatemala, who have begun settling in Kingston.

"There's good people there," he said.

Several actions taken to fight the spread of the coronavirus, though, have created new challenges for UIDN volunteers.

Before the coronavirus hit the U.S., the group would usually buy several weeks worth of supplies such as food, clothing and diapers at once, and then give the items away at the church.

Now the group must change the ways by which it purchases those supplies and distribute them.

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Because of social distancing protocols, the group has stopped holding its monthly giveaway at the church. On the purchasing front, the group can no longer buy everything for the families all at once, because most stores have limits on how much of one item can be bought at once.

"We're able to get over those hurdles," UIDN Founder Father Frank Alagna said via teleconference Monday morning.

To adjust, the UIDN is now seeking "Shop and Deliver" sponsors to shop for items on the families' lists, deliver them to the families' doorsteps, and then get reimbursed afterward.

Asylum seeking families, many of whom are losing work opportunities because of the coronavirus, will not get the same assistance that many more established residents may soon receive through federal relief legislation.

Father Frank said that is immoral, so he is counting on more UIDN volunteers to fill that gap in services for newly arrived families.

"With the way a virus doesn't know national boundaries, I don't know that a response to a virus should be defined by national boundaries," he said. "It should be a human response for whoever we identify as human within our community."

Currently, sponsors are doing twice-a-week deliveries. Father Frank would like to get enough volunteers to shop and deliver every week.

He said that since he sent an email to supporters seeking sponsors over the weekend, 45 people have already signed up.

The UIDN shared on its website a basic shopping list for one family, which may change depending on what each family needs.

Since there are several young children among the families living in Midtown, some families may need other supplies such as diapers of a certain size.

Finding each item may prove challenging because of the ongoing shopping frenzy, Father Frank said. He gave an example from last week's rounds.

"I must have gone to about eight pharmacies before I finally found size-7 Pampers," he said, laughing. "They were also, for some reason, in very short supply."

To become a "Shop and Deliver" sponsor, contact the UIDN by emailing uidn@ulsterimmigrantdefensenetwork.org or by calling 888-726-7276.

Below is a basic shopping list for one family.

  • 1 gallon of whole milk
  • 1 large box of corn flakes
  • 1 dozen eggs
  • 1 bag of apples
  • 1 bag of oranges
  • 4 jalapeno peppers
  • 4 tomatoes
  • 6 bananas
  • 1 tray of chicken thighs
  • 1 five-pound bag of white rice
  • 1 five-pound bag of black beans
  • 1 32-ounce bottle of vegetable oil
  • 1 32-ounce bottle of apple juice
  • 1 4-5-pound bag of Maseca corn flour (often found near Goya products)
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