Tito Bojorquez, staff member at the Hogar de Esperanza y Paz (HEPAC) in Nogales, Sonora, and Corinna Rauer, German university student volunteering this summer at Borderlinks, briefed CACC members May 22 on activities at the community center in the border city. Their visit was sponsored by the CACC's Mission Committee.
The center is affiliated with Borderlinks, which is based in Tucson. It gets additional support from Global Ministries and other church and lay groups.
Bojorquez said HEPAC needs funds to expand its children's food security program, which now provides a healthy meal on school days for 100 of the neediest children in the four neighborhoods surrounding the center. The program also trains the volunteers who prepare the meals, teaches parents and others in the community how to plant organic and sustainable gardens, and promotes workshops on nutrition and food preparation.
Among other important services offered at HEPAC are High School Equivalency classes, directed primarily to late teens and young adults although one recent graduate was an 84-year-old woman; immunizations for children; health related classes; and a cooperative workshop for women where they can learn handcrafts. Some of the proceeds from the sale of the craft products go to the women while some help support the center.
For more information about Hogar de Esperanza y Paz (House of Hope and Peace) contact Borderlinks: 520-628-8263 or www.borderlinks.org.
