Families arriving in desperation have been routinely forced to make impossible, heartbreaking choices and do not have access to the legal, medical or mental health resources they need. Our goal is clear: to provide direct support to harmed families by building up communities around them.

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We believe that if our country will not be a sanctuary, and our state will not, then we will make our neighborhoods safe for all of us, one by one.  Action Potluck/Sanctuary Neighborhoods in Washington Heights, New York City, is a coalition of grassroots activists in collaboration with our local Houses of Worship in an effort to support families and keep our diverse communities whole. The situation is constantly changing, but our goal is clear: to provide direct support to harmed families.

Holyrood/Iglesia Santa Cruz provided sanctuary for a family in 2017, and Action Potluck activists pieced together the necessary support for them. We have been building on what we learned since then, offering help to families separated at the border and scattered around the U.S., or anyone needing asylum.  Volunteers are working to build local support networks for over 50 families. We secure legal assistance, help navigate the incredibly confusing immigration system, accompany people to ICE check-ins, attorney appointments, hospital visits, find housing, schools, ESL classes, pediatric trauma specialists, clothes, food and whatever else is necessary to help them get on their feet. More families reach out for help daily.  We are trying to rebuild our own communities for the benefit of all of us.