This past week at La Posada, we continued celebrating Easter, commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. New clients had recently joined us at the shelter, and we saw it fitting to continue the festivities. During our opening prayer before lunch, Client Mentor, Sister Thérèse Cunningham, SHSp, explained, “Easter is a 50-day celebration, called Eastertide, and is not only celebrated on Easter Sunday.” With a cheerful prayer, we relished our midday meal.

At La Posada, we traditionally serve turkey on special occasions. This day was no exception. We enjoyed turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, white rice, salad, and bread rolls. Dessert was a treat since we had received a donation of apples from the RGV Food Bank. Sister Thérèse, with her creativity and love for cooking, made an apple cake accompanied with a fruit salad and ice cream. Afterward, Sister Thérèse announced a surprise egg hunt.

During the morning hours, Sister Thérèse and Operations Manager Alejandra Zepeda had strategically hidden colorful plastic eggs filled with candy. To make the egg hunt more exciting, the person who found the most eggs would win a prize. Unknown to us, some of the small children at the shelter had already been hunting eggs before lunch, getting a head start. That added to the fun. At the end of the hunt, we gathered around to count the eggs and announce the winner. To the delight of all, one of our clients won the prize – an Easter bunny figurine.

All in all, the activity resembled a family-like celebration. An added benefit was that it provided a small respite for all amidst the harried pace brought on by the recent influx.

The pictures show that the hunt brought the “inner child’ out in everyone!

Program Highlights

Clients assisted from July 1, 2020 – April 9, 2021 (Fiscal Year):
530

Clients assisted from April 1, 2021- April 9, 2021 
32

The following five (5) Countries of Origin represented in April:
Guatemala  
Haiti
Honduras 
Nicaragua 
Pakistan

*Previously, we have reported on long-term clients staying at the shelter that week. Currently, we are processing many short-term clients. We will report the number of clients served for the month and the total clients served from the start of the fiscal year.