Volunteer With Humane Borders
Every Wednesday at 5:30pm (except holidays), volunteers meet in First Christian Church, in Tucson to discuss current issues and sign up to help maintain water stations, trucks, staff the office, secure supplies, make phone calls, staff Humane Borders information tables at local events and take care of other matters. Tel: (520) 628-7753 Email: info@humaneborders.org
Mission And Service Visits
We welcome visiting mission groups for a combination service and educational experience. Volunteers learn about the social, political, economic and theological complexities of border issues with far reaching effects throughout the U.S. Tasks may include trips to water stations with water trucks, routine maintenance and cleaning of vehicles and equipment, assembling, painting and maintaining water station equipment, picking up migrants’ trash in fragile desert environments along the border, sewing flags and making flag poles for water station sites, plus office work including filing, copying, mailings, media research, and maintaining the libraries of articles, videos and CDs. Download a full description of activities and amenities by clicking here.
Service Trips
Also known as water runs, these are the regularly scheduled trips that leave from Tucson and Phoenix to more than 80 stations around the borderlands. There are more than 70 trips per month May through September and 30 trips per month October through April. Some last a few hours. Some last all day. Each truck is fully air conditioned, with an extended cab that can carry a driver and five volunteers. When there are more than five volunteers, we ask individuals to drive their vehicle and carry other volunteers when needed. Dress for these trips as you would for any extended trek in the desert, and expect long hours driving and hauling water. Be prepared also for meeting like-minded people, sharing stories and companionship. We ask all volunteers to adhere to our volunteer protocols and migrant encounter protocols, which include never secretly transporting a person suspected of being an illegal immigrant. Read a typical trip report for a sense of what volunteers encounter. Questions? Tel: (520) 628-7753 Email: info@humaneborders.org
Trash Pick-Up
On the second Saturday of every month volunteers are needed to pick up trash along migrant trails throughout southern Arizona. The most commonly found items are empty water jugs, food wrappers, backpacks, and clothing. Other found items include wallets, identification papers, used airline tickets, soccer cards, rosary beads, bibles, prayer books, photographs, tools, utensils, toys, baby bottles, game pieces, cell phone chargers, medicine, bicycles etc. Sites include Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Coronado National Forest, and some privately owned land. Questions? Tel: (520) 628-7753 Email: info@humaneborders.org.
Health Kits
Humane Borders invites individuals, families, and groups to create health kits to be distributed in the migrant shelters in Altar, Nogales, and Agua Prieta. We also keep health kits on the water truck to give to migrants in distress. Place all the items listed below in a gallon-size, zip-closure bag:
1 hand towel
1 wash cloth
1 comb
1 metal nail file or clippers
1 bath-size bar of soap in original wrapper
1 toothbrush in original wrapper
1 tube toothpaste
6 adhesive bandages
Food Kits
The water trucks are stocked with food packs to give to migrants whom we encounter on the way to water stations. Place all the items listed below in a gallon-size, zip-closure bag. Questions? Tel: (520) 628-7753 Email: info@humaneborders.org.
1 can of Vienna sausages or tuna in a pop-top can
1 individually packaged serving of applesauce or mandarin oranges
2 crunchy granola bars (crunchy lasts longer in the heat)
1 individually packaged serving of chips or crackers
1 napkin
1 plastic spoon or fork
Flags
Do you sew? Desert winds do heavy damage to our flags; we replace them every few months. You can help guide migrants to life-saving water by making flags that will fly over water stations in remote areas of southern Arizona.
Fabric should be medium- to heavyweight, 100 percent nylon usually costing about $7 per yard (rip-stop nylon does not last as long as heavier fabric). Color should be medium or royal blue. Finished size should be about 36 by 52 inches. With 60-inch wide fabric, cut pieces 44 by 60 inches and make 2-inch hems on all sides. Iron over 4 inches, fold under two inches, so that the entire hem is triple thickness of fabric.
Please use synthetic thread (polyester or nylon). Other threads made of cotton or other natural fibers deteriorate quickly in the sun and elements. Any color of thread is acceptable. Please make the sure the corners are stitched securely. A zigzag stitch is very good for sewing the hem.
If you do not have a sewing machine with zigzag stitching, please double stitch the hems. Volunteers at Humane Borders will place grommets into the flag's hem.