Asylum Seekers
TEAM TLC NYC
We thank Marti Michael and Carol Gross for speaking to us last Shabbat. Carol's presentation was about her experience as a volunteer for TEAM TLC NYC. Here are is a summary with some excerpts from her follow-up with Rabbi Linda, with a link to the full document here.
Welcome! Thank you for offering to help.
TEAM TLC NYC is an all-volunteer group that has been meeting buses of Asylum Seekers at the Port Authority for a few years, but never as many as recently.
TEAM TLC offers necessities to asylum seekers that are not provided by the city, including good food, clean clothing, and toiletries. When they can, they provide lawyers, emergency housing, and help to reunite families.
Volunteer opportunities include:
- Sorting and distributing needed items
- Greeting asylum seekers at Port Authority or the airport and bringing them to shelters
- Providing a room for a short-term stay if needed
If you are interested in donating items, you can bring them to Port Authority between 9am and 3pm on weekdays. Specific details are in the full document. We are accepting:
- Clothing: warm jackets, other winter clothes (sweaters, sweatshirts, sweatpants, etc), sneakers, new underwear. Adult clothes are needed in small and medium sizes only and all sizes for children.
- Stuffed animals, bikes with helmets and locks, strollers, and toiletries such as shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste and laundry detergent.
Monetary donations can be made HERE. All donations are used for asylum seekers for food, re-ticketing, and other needs. You can also buy items from our registries (see document).