Reaching out a helping hand
Faith in the Valley fund helps migrant families during pandemic
Some 30 migrant families arrived at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lodi last weekend to receive much-needed financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the last several months, Pastor Nelson Rabell has been helping migrant families throughout the Central Valley weather the pandemic with grant funds through Faith in the Valley’s California Immigrant Resilience Fund.
Rabell said he and the church received $50,000 in grant funds last December, and last Sunday, $500 was distributed to families from Stanislaus County.
Sunday’s distribution was the second of the year. Another 30 families from San Joaquin County were provided assistance in early January, Rabell said.
“People in the community call me and say there are families out there with COVID, so they’re not working and they can’t make rent,” he said. “Now more than ever, these families need this kind of assistance.”
This is not the first time Faith in the Valley has provided grant funds to Rabell and St. Paul’s. In the fall, the Stockton-based nonprofit organization provided $500,000 in assistance, and $300,000 over the summer.
The checks Rabell has handed out can be used for any necessity, but in recent months, families have been using the funds to pay rent.
“It’s a big concern for the migrant community,” he said. “All the families I’ve met, the number one issue they have, they’ve either lost their job or had their hours reduced and they have to pay rent. Many of them call me and say that in a way, our ministry is a sort of rental assistance.”
To receive assistance, families must either contact Rabell or be contacted by him. He said it is to avoid large rushes on days where funds will be distributed. When families are unable to meet with him on a day like Sunday, he will contact them and arrange a time to meet.
He said there will be more days in the future when he meets with families to provide assistance.
“The face of Jesus is in this region,” Rabell said. “There’s no doubt it can be seen in the faces of the migrant community. When we advocate, support and accompany the migrant community, we are literally (helping) Jesus.”
To learn more about Faith in the Valley, visit www.faithinthevalley.org. To learn more about assistance for migrant families, call Rabell at 209-368-2747.