As Americans gathered all across the country to celebrate 4th of July, 19 clients representing eight different countries honored their new home with a celebration at La Posada Providencia. Clients gathered in front of the shelter’s flagpole to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before taking part in a traditionally “American BBQ.” “When I stood with …
Almost 20 years had passed since Luis Santillana and his wife, Zoila, first set foot at La Posada Providencia. A lot has changed since that day in 1996, both for the former clients and for the shelter, but it all has been for the better. “This is the second time we’ve visited La Posada since …
Short of a miracle… That’s how La Posada Providencia’s Program Director Sister Zita Telkamp, CDP, describes the shelter’s recent Hands & Hearts fundraiser, held Saturday, Jan. 25th. “On January 21st, we had sold only 134 tickets,” Sister Zita recounts. “Five days later, we had 340 guests attending the event and we were scurrying around trying …
Hundreds of clients come through the doors of La Posada Providencia each month. Many of them are fleeing dangerous situations in their home countries, and for security reasons their identities are not shared with the public. Because of this, their faces and names often remain unknown to the rest of the world. Their stories, however, …
Last week, La Posada Providencia reached 7,000 clients served in the roughly 25 years of its existence. The milestone comes as La Posada experiences an unexpected surge in the numbers of families seeking emergency shelter and assistance. “We were not expecting to reach the 7,000 client mark this year,” said Program Director Sister Zita Telkamp, …
For nine months, Esperanza carried little Ana near her heart in her womb; born with a birth defect and unable to walk by herself, Esperanza still carried her nine year-old daughter—near her heart—in her arms. Esperanza’s husband—the father of her children—died soon after Ana was born. The family had no money for medical treatment or …
La Posada’s program to produce our own healthy food—our citrus grove, vegetable garden and pecan tree—is central to teaching our clients and volunteers about healthy eating and environmental sustainability. And now we are proposing a new project to provide La Posada with healthy food: chickens! A recent study in “Mother Earth News” has reported that …
Last Sunday about 1:00 p.m., a Border Patrol agent called asking if we could accommodate a woman who was recently released from the hospital. He said she had fallen at the border and shattered her ankle. After an operation, she was fitted with a cast and crutches. Two hours later, Sister Zita met Janis and …
On Tuesday, March 16, we welcomed three wonderful volunteers to work in La Posada’s produce garden with clients. Arcelia Aguilar, MSN, R.N., Barbara Robinson from Methodist Healthcare Ministers and Jennifer Herrera from Texas A&M ArgriLife Extension Service arrived in the morning with gardening tools and supplies, a variety of plants and loads of enthusiasm. These …
La Posada Providencia continues to respond to a dramatic increase in need for shelter services by new immigrants and asylum seekers who have been recently released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). La Posada typically supports 200-250 clients annually—yet, at the time of this writing, we have sheltered 455 individuals, and we are only 9 …
