City of Bloomington Latino Outreach Programs and Community Partners Sponsor “Refugees Welcome Here” Fundraiser

Bloomington, Ind. - The City of Bloomington’s Latino Outreach Program is partnering with housing co-op Bloomington Cooperative Living and two local restaurants to sponsor a fundraiser for migrants at the southern border and in Bloomington. In observance of Labor Day, the “Refugees Welcome Here” fundraiser September 2 and 5 will provide funds for three migrant support organizations: the Bloomington Refugee Support Network, the Trans Liberation Coalition, and Contra Viento y Marea.  Participating restaurant King Dough (108 West 6th Street) will donate 10 percent of their proceeds from sales on Monday, September 2, and BJ’s (411 South College Mall Road) will donate 20 percent of their proceeds from sales Thursday, September 5. 

Bloomington Refugee Solidarity Network is a local non-profit providing solidarity and financial assistance to refugees, asylum-seekers and other immigrants in Bloomington; the Trans Liberation Coalition in Albuquerque, N.M. provides basic necessities and sponsorship to transgender asylum seekers in and recently released from long-term ICE detention; and Contra Viento y Marea is a community kitchen and dining hall in Tijuana, Mexico, founded and run by women from the migrant caravans from Central America.

“Labor Day is a fitting time to support our neighbors to the south as we remember Latino civil rights activists and labor leaders like Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, among many others,” said Isabella Bravo, a volunteer with the Bloomington Refugee Support Network.  

More information about and flyers for the “Refugees Welcome Here” fundraiser are available here. The Latino Outreach Program operates within the City of Bloomington Department of Community and Family Resources.  More information about Latino Outreach services and resources is available here.