March 2026

Progress Newsletter

Guest Blog Post by Sheryl Young, PVF San Mateo County Director, and Lilli Rey, Founder of Bay Area Border Relief, a Designated Fund at PVF

A group of 15 volunteers from ALAS, the Latino Community Foundation and College of San Mateo, along with staff from University of San Francisco, led by ALAS founder Dr. Belinda Hernandez Arriaga and ALAS Board Chair Lilli Rey arrived in Minneapolis on February 9, to deliver food, care packages and love for children and school teachers. Over three days, she said, the work became something more: an immersion into a city living under palpable strain.

“We all need to know what is going on in an American city and see what it is going through,” Ms. Rey said after returning to California. “This has to stop. What we see on the news does not represent the fear and stress the residents of that community are living in everyday.”

An ALAS board member was contacted by a former high school friend working in Minneapolis, who was looking for help for children. There was no hesitation; within 48 hours, a plan was developed for flight and hotel arrangements for Lilli and a group of volunteers to go there to help!



Before they left, more than 30 children and adults held an assembly party at ALAS in Half Moon Bay to make cards of cheer and hope, and put together care packages for students and teachers.

Lilli and the volunteers packed up the cards and care packages, and then shopped for food and other necessities as soon as they landed.

The volunteers distributed food and prepared supplies for residents who, they were told, were afraid to leave their homes out of fear of immigration enforcement actions. Several people they met said they were not safe to attend work, and many families are keeping children home from school, relying instead on remote learning.

On neighborhood sidewalks, residents walked dogs with whistles in hand and passports tucked into pockets. They carried cellphones and chargers, they explained, so they could contact relatives or lawyers if stopped by authorities.

The delegation also encountered signs of recent violence. Makeshift memorials mark the deaths of Renee Good, who was killed on January 7, and Alex Pretti, who died on January 24. Each evening, community members gather for candlelight vigils and musical performances, filling the winter air with hymns and songs of hope.

Less than a mile away, the volunteers visited the community-driven memorial to George Floyd, whose killing in 2020 drew global attention to police brutality. The site, still tended daily by residents, remains a focal point for reflection.

At a large local public high school, the group met with the School Success Liaison who brought together teachers during their lunch hour to discuss what day to day life is like for all of them. They described the Jan. 8 confrontation involving agents from U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to the teacher’s account, force was used during the incident, and students and staff were exposed to tear gas or pepper spray. Most of the Latino students are attending their classes on zoom for their safety, while the stressed out teachers are struggling to keep some level of normalcy for their students.

During a visit to a nearby elementary school, the volunteers said they witnessed a helicopter hovering overhead, which they were told carried ICE personnel. Two agents were visible across the street. School officials quickly instructed children on the playground to return inside. As the announcement was made, the Black students formed a ring around the few Latino classmates in school that day, creating a protective shield and escorted them back into the building.

Dr. Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, Director of ALAS and professor at USF, and one of the volunteers, promised, “We will continue supporting these schools and families with crisis relief, virtual counseling for teachers and delegations…you (Minneapolis) are not alone.”