Interfaith agency presents token of appreciation

Jill Rich, social action chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, presented Federation CEO & President Stuart Mellan with a token of appreciation from Catholic Community Services Casa Alitas program on Sept. 13. JFSA has supported Casa Alitas over the past six and a half years in its efforts with migrants crossing the southern U.S. border. That support has increased over the last year as the number of migrants and asylees has skyrocketed. In response, JFSA and an anonymous donor through the Jewish Foundation of Southern Arizona created a matching grant fund that raised more than $80,000 in community donations. The fund has provided food, shoes, backpacks, and undergarments for migrants, as well as urgently needed supplies and equipment. The plaque includes reproductions of drawings by migrant children, originally painted on tiles.