Updates
Volunteer Opportunities – March 2025
Overnight Host
A coalition of churches is housing 21 people seeking asylum, including children, at Macalester Plymouth UCC. Food is provided at Central Presbyterian. They need volunteers to serve as overnight hosts to interact with the families from 7 – 9 p.m. and then spend the night at the church in their own room. One hour online orientation required.
Anyone interested should contact Diane Haines from Creekside UCC, diane.m.haines@comcast.net
ICOM AID
Provide direct support to immigrants and asylum seekers in your community through the
Minnesota Interfaith Coalition on Immigration (ICOM) AID program. Volunteers develop
relationships with clients, and help families in various ways: securing emergency food and clothing, locating community resources, offering rides to important appointments and court hearings.
Register to volunteer at https://mnicom.org/aid/ or contact Karen Canon, kjcanon57@gmail.com for more information.
Judy Takunnen Immigrant Justice Grants
For more about Judy and the naming of these grants, please see to the right.
The Plymouth Immigrant Justice Committee has awarded grants in 2024 to the following organizations supporting our immigrant community:
Interfaith Coalition on Immigration (ICOM)
The grant will support ICOM’s work providing financial and logistic support to immigrants and their families, giving priority to those who do not qualify for traditional or institutional services. IJC is a member of ICOM along with many other faith communities and supports their efforts through volunteer and other services.
Minnesota Immigrant RIghts Action Committee (MIRAC)
MIRAC is an all-volunteer grassroots immigrant rights organization providing advocacy and direct support to the immigrant communities. This year, MIRAC has established a new outreach program to connect with immigrant day laborers in Minneapolis and the funds will be used for necessary supplies for the program.
Conversations with Friends
The organization connects volunteers with immigrants in detention through visits, letter writing and providing small grants to commissary accounts. The Plymouth grant will be used to prepare “dignity” backpacks containing basic hygiene and clothing items for people who are being deported as well as for grants to commissary accounts.
North STAR Alliance
The North STAR Alliance is made up of over 30 immigrant rights and faith based organizations, seeking to pass state-level legislation that would prohibit state and local law enforcement from performing federal immigration and ICE functions. The Plymouth grant will be used to reach out to impacted immigrant communities to build awareness of the proposed legislation and have the immigrant stories brought to the policymakers.
For more detail about these organizations and how you can participate, please contact a member of the Immigrant Justice Committee.
Judy Takkunen and the naming of the Immigrant Justice Grants
Judy Takkunen was an active member of Plymouth Congregational Church for 52 years. During that time, she served in many church roles as both an inspiring leader and a humble follower. Regardless of her role, Judy served with intelligence, strength, and compassion. She was one of those rare people who ALWAYS went the extra mile.
Plymouth’s Immigrant Justice Group recently decided to name our grants to local organizations serving immigrants* the Judy Takkunen Immigrant Justice Grants. We’ve chosen to honor Judy in this way because of her foundational leadership in our small group of immigrant justice warriors. Some examples of Judy’s contributions:
- Participated in two trips to the US southwest border to learn about the realities of those forced into migration and serve them. She was a key member of the team that planned the first trip.
- Helped plan and was a key speaker for Plymouth’s first vigil for Minnesota Interfaith Coalition on Immigration.
- Co-led Plymouth’s first Immigration Sunday to link immigrant justice to our faith and build awareness about opportunities for involvement.
- Worked with a team to support an Afghan refugee family as they entered the US under extreme conditions.
- Served as a member of the team to create and implement Plymouth’s grants to local organizations serving immigrants.
- Organized a successful drive to gather coats for local immigrants and refugees.
Judy’s warm presence and wise counsel will be missed in our group, and we are far better for her faithful participation.
* Plymouth’s Immigrant Justice Committee annually awards grants to tax-exempt organizations that support direct work of compassion for immigrants or that advocate for systemic change to our national or local immigration policies. Any member of Plymouth Church can nominate an organization, and selections are made through a selective process. Typically, grants are made to smaller organizations (annual budget less than $100,000 per year). Individual grants are a maximum of $5,000, and total grants for a year are no more than $10,000. Recipients are expected to submit a final report describing how the funds were spent and the results achieved. This fund was created by an individual gift provided for this purpose. Henceforth, these grants will be named the Judy Takkunen Immigrant Justice Grants. For more information about the grants, specific criteria, or past recipients, please contact any member of the Immigrant Justice Group.
Support Immigrants
How You Can Help
Witnessing God’s love for all people, we stand with and advocate for immigrants through partnership, direct action, education, and support for local immigrants, as well as related organizations.
As part of our advocacy program, the Immigrant Welcoming Work Group compiles actions and local events held in support of immigrants and immigration issues. We urge you to perform some of these actions and/or attend some of the events! Content is updated monthly.
If you take any action listed in this summary, please notify Tom Haigh, jthaigh45 (at) gmail.com, for tracking purposes. If you have content for future updates, please submit to Karen Canon, kjcanon57 (at) gmail.com.
Background
- Began in approximately 2017.
- Formerly called the Immigrant Welcoming Working Group (IWWG).
- Meets the 3rd Tuesday of the month, 6:00–7:30 p.m.
- Our purpose is to live out our faith by caring for immigrants through education, advocacy, and service.
- Anyone can join the group who’s interested in learning more about service to immigrants. Members do not have to members of Plymouth, and there is no term limit.
- Please refer to our annual plan for more specifics.