Weekend at the hospitality house: “It makes me feel special”

On Friday night, a woman knocked on the door. She had driven six hours from Florida and was seeking a place to stay overnight so she could visit her son at Stewart Detention Center (SDC) on Saturday. Loyda Paz Perez, a longtime El Refugio volunteer and board member, along with our two summer interns, welcomed the woman and listened as she shared her story. After they talked, Loyda showed her to one of our guestrooms. When she saw the spacious, comfortable bedroom, she was overwhelmed. Me hace sentir especial, she said. 

It makes me feel special.

On Saturday, the woman visited her son at SDC. Before she left, she told the volunteers she was moved to see people coming from long distances to provide hospitality to strangers. She said the house was beautiful, and she had slept very well. 

Later that day, a South Carolina family of eight stopped by. The guards at SDC had suggested they wait at the house instead of the waiting room. Wait times can be long—up to several hours—depending on the number of people waiting to visit and Covid protocols. At the house, the volunteers played with the youngest child while the older children studied. This has become a new role of El Refugio: providing hospitality for people waiting for visits. Before the family left, the volunteers gave them a gas card and food for the trip back home. 

On Sunday morning, a family of four dropped by. They had arrived at SDC during women’s visiting hours and needed to wait for men’s visiting hours to visit their loved one. The mother and daughter chatted with Loyda while their friend and son rested. The mother had not seen her son since he was transferred to SDC a year earlier. Like many people, she was afraid to go to the detention center to visit her loved one because she was afraid of being detained. One of our interns accompanied her to SDC to provide support. 

Later, the woman called to thank us. She was so glad she was able to visit her son; she had thought she might never see him again. Her son was scheduled to be deported soon, so we explained to her how to get him a bag of clothes, which she did the next day.

This is what El Refugio does. This is our mission, our purpose. We provide a variety of other services, but the heart of our work is this hospitality house and the refuge and friendship we are able to provide for people visiting their loved ones at SDC. Volunteer. Give. Thank you.