Save your little-used and well-cared-for women’s clothing that clutters your closet and bring it to donate. Come pick up a few additions to your wardrobe. Share a fun time with other “shoppers”. The annual clothing swap at Old Settlers Park in Burdickville on Sunday, Sept. 7, from 2-4 pm benefits the Justice and Peace Advocacy Center (JPAC), which works to support the immigrant, migrant and seasonal worker community of northern Michigan.
Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate features two special pop-ups within its gelateria in Empire this summer. One sells Miriam Teran’s Kichwa artisan wares from her indigenous community in northern Ecuador. The presence of Miriam’s crafts emphasizes the company’s connection to Ecuador, from which Grocer’s Daughter sources all its chocolate. The other pop-up, Adriana’s Kitchen, features traditional food from the Mexican state of Guanajuato, including steak and chicken tacos, tostadas and burritos, served with rice, beans and salsa. “Our intent behind the pop-ups is to uplift these incredible women and to try new, fun (and delicious) things at Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate,” said Grocer’s Daughter co-owner Jody Hayden.
Priest José Luis Díaz Cruz and Sergio Jose Cárdenas Flores, political asylees from Nicaragua, have been living in the rectory at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Empire since March after they escaped the autocratic Ortega regime, which has cracked down on dissent and persecuted the Roman Catholic Church. Originally from the city of Matagalpa, Díaz and Cárdenas were among dozens imprisoned for six months in the capital of Managua after living under house arrest in their church last August. In February, they were among 222 political prisoners flown to the United States after being forced to relinquish their Nicaraguan citizenship. “We’re offering them a safe place to be,” said Rev. Ken Stachnik at St. Philip Neri. “This is important because it’s in the gospel. We are watching out for those who are lost and have no place to go.” The push to bring the Nicaraguans to northern Michigan came from Reverend Wayne Dziekan with the Diocese of Gaylord and who co-directs the Justice and Peace Advocacy Center, an organization which helps asylees and migrant workers in northern Michigan. Matagalpa and Gaylord are sister diocese.
The Justice and Peace Advocacy Center is hosting a fundraiser on Thursday, December 5, at Mawby Vineyards near Suttons Bay (4519 S. Elm Valley Rd) to provide emergency assistance for our local immigrant/migrant community.
On Wednesday, April 5, at noon at the Leelanau County Government Center the Farm Labor Task Force of the League of Women Voters Leelanau County will highlight the impact current immigration policy has on area agricultural employers and their workforce. The forum is titled “Immigration Challenges in Leelanau: Who Will Harvest Our Produce?”